Total Drama: Revenge of the Island
by ferguson97
Summary: Sequel to Total Drama World Tour. After travelling the globe, the 16 contestants from last season go to where Total Drama began… Camp Wawanakwa! Watch as these 16 teenagers compete in more life-threatening challenges all for the chance of winning one million dollars! But Camp Wawanakwa has changed in the past three seasons, so things are about to get wild! Rated T. In-progress.
1. Bigger! Badder! Brutal-er!

_Total Drama: Revenge of the Island_

 **Disclaimer** : The rights of _Total Drama_ belong to its distributors; Teletoon, Cartoon Network, Fresh TV, and Cake Entertainment. The original twenty-two characters, along with Chris and Chef, belong to the aforementioned companies. Fourteen of the main characters in this story belong to their respective creators, and two belong to me.

This story is rated T for mild violence, moderate language, and mild to moderate sexual themes. You have been warned.

 **Author's Note** : I'm back, baby! Whoo-hoo! After a long hiatus, I am back to writing fan fiction. A lot of you have been asking me when this is coming out, and for the longest time, I wasn't sure myself. At certain points, I was unsure if this story was even going to _happen_. But obviously, it has, and it's gonna be (hopefully) awesome!

This story is a **direct sequel** **to Total Drama World Tour** , so if you have not read it, I recommend that you do so, otherwise you will be utterly confused.

The main plot of the story went through many drafts. Initially, this season was going to be "Total Drama All-Stars" and feature contestants from both the first two seasons, and Total Drama World Tour. I elected against it, wanting to flesh out more of these characters before mixing them with the veterans.

I'll try and update this as frequently as possible. I promise to finish it, though. I would never leave you guys hanging!

Now, sit back and enjoy this just as much as I enjoyed writing it!

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* * *

 _Bigger! Badder! Brutal-er!_

* * *

Eighteen months after the successful Total Drama World Tour ended, history repeated itself. The fans would not stop harassing Chris or the producers about the next season. Truth be told, Chris and the producers themselves were just as anxious as the fans were. Unfortunately, a seemingly endless amount of lawsuits came for the show, and the new season was temporarily put on hold.

But after a year and a half of fighting legal battles, the producers had finally won their last court case. The next season of Total Drama was green lit, and the fans couldn't be more excited for the drama that was guaranteed to unfold…

"We've been to the movies... We've been around the world… and this season, we're going right back where it all began, at Camp Wawanakwa!"

Chris McLean stood on the familiar rigidity dock with the familiar grin on his smug face.

"I'm Chris McLean and as you can see, things have changed since we've been away," Chris said as he walked down the dock. A spiky-haired intern offered him a coconut drink, which he gladly accepted. And as if on cue, one side of the "Wawanakwa" sign fell off, creating another hole in the already dilapidated structure of the dock.

"And by 'changed', I meant gotten really, really dangerous."

Fate did not seem to favor the spiky-haired intern. A colossal tentacle rose from the lake and swung down on the dock with lethal force. When the tentacle returned to the water, the unnamed intern and a significant piece of the dock went with it.

Completely unfazed by the apparent death of one of his employees, Chris continued his monologue. "But the rules of the game remain the same. A handful of unfortunate teens will bunk with each other, air their dirty laundry in our outhouse confessional, compete in life-threatening challenges all over the island, and risk being voted off. The last one standing wins _one million dollars_!"

Chris peered out over the lake. "Speaking of our cast, here they come now."

A yacht carrying partying youngsters raced towards the island. Gwen and Duncan were talking with each other while DJ, Leshawna, and Harold danced to the loud pop music. Eva also stood beside them, but had a rather grim expression. Owen was near the railing, showing off his dance moves.

Nearby, Izzy was hanging from the side of the yacht, while Noah and Cody stared at her in disbelief. Tyler and Lindsay were making out at the top of the ship. Beside the loving couple, Beth admired a shirtless Justin.

At the stern, Katie and Sadie were hugging a helpless Trent; Bridgette and Geoff were also dancing to the music; Heather and Courtney were glaring at each other. Ezekiel was dancing beside the two girls, and then their glares turned to him.

The boat headed for the dock — but then sped right past it, not so much as slowing. "No!" Owen wailed, the overweight teen's cry fading with the boat.

"No," Chris chuckled. "Not them. Maybe next time... But this season, we're bringing back the contestants from last time! All sixteen of them! And here they come now! For real!"

A second boat with a crowd of familiar faces on it raced towards the dilapidated dock.

"Welcome back, Shaylie!"

At the front of the boat, the hostile athlete bounced a soccer ball from knee to knee. She turned to Lucian, who was standing next to her, and glared at him.

"I don't want any shit from you this time, got it?" she barked.

He shrugged. "You won't have to worry about that," he replied. Then a wide grin formed across his face. "... Because you're already so full of shit that there isn't any room left for me to give."

Chris continued to announce the contestants. "Lucian!"

Shaylie wasn't really offended by Lucian's remark, but she kicked the soccer ball at him all the same. He was hit off-screen and where he was hit wasn't clear, but the high-pitched moan suggested it was somewhere quite painful.

"Aidan and Deylanie!"

Nearby, Aidan was smiling sweetly at his girlfriend. She was dancing wildly, but Aidan did not seem to be fazed by it. "I'm so stoked to be back on the show and see all my friends! Junior year was tough, but now that I'm with my girlfriend and friends on the show again, everything's gonna be awesome! Right, babe?"

Deylanie turned to face her boyfriend, but she didn't stop dancing. "Huh? Oh yeah, that's awesome… Great to be here… yeah!"

"Aria!"

On the second level of the yacht, the young Hispanic woman was no longer in a gurney or wearing a muzzle, but she still looked restricted and uncomfortable. She looked up from the floor and at the camera with dead, bloodshot eyes, and did not say a word.

"Xavier!"

Xavier was talking on his cell phone as always. "Hey, I don't want to be the bad guy here," he said somewhat angrily, "just make sure to stop filibustering, or else you're going to lose everything!" He noticed the camera and raised a brow. "I have to go, grandma… I love you, too! He closed the phone and placed it into his shirt pocket, then sneered at the camera.

"Jerome!"

The dark-skinned teenager waved politely to the camera. Then he turned to Xavier and scoffed. "Do you really talk to your grandmother that way?"

Xavier looked at Jerome like he had three heads. "What the heck do you mean? I said 'I love you'!" he protested.

"Emma!"

On the other side of the second level of the yacht, Emma was isolated from the others. Like the other contestants, her appearance was almost the same, save her hair, which was now in a tight ponytail. Her arms were crossed and she looked very annoyed.

"When I win this season," she stated to the camera, "everyone on this show is going to _pay_!" She punched her palm at the end of the threat.

On the third level, by the front of the boat, Viktoriya and Walter were eagerly looking towards the shoreline as the boat brought them closer to it.

"Viktoriya and Walter!"

The inventor grinned widely. "I can't believe we're actually here!" he exclaimed. "I watched all of the first season after the show! I can't wait!"

"I concur," Viktoriya said. "After watching the previous generation compete on the island, we are given the advantage of foresight that they didn't have."

"Xena!"

Xena popped out from behind the corner and smiled at the frightened couple. "Foresight is definitely something I am proud to have been blessed with. For example, I—"

The overachiever glared at Xena. "Don't _do_ that! You scared the crap out of me."

Walter shuddered. "I didn't even see here."

Xena sighed. "No one ever does..."

In the middle of the third level, Daniel was leaning against the railing. "I can't believe I have to do another season of this crap," he muttered.

"Daniel and Georgie!"

Georgie's arms wrapped around his body. "Don't worry, babe," she said. "With you and I together, we'll go all the way to the top." She kissed him on the cheek. "And that bitch Emma won't be around to break us up."

The fighter smiled and gave his girlfriend a kiss on the lips.

"Holly!"

Holly looked very uncomfortable as she watched the couple kissing. She rubbed the back of her neck and bit her lip. After a few awkward seconds, she pulled out her gaming device and walked away slowly.

"Jamie!"

At the end of the boat, Jamie stood behind Zane, who was confined to a wheelchair. As always, the aspiring writer had a happy expression on his face.

"Who knows? Maybe I'll end up with _another_ million in my pocket," he joked.

"And Zane!"

The crippled teenager was very annoyed. "It's unbelievable that I have to compete in another season of this. I broke both of my _legs_ for / **censored** / sake!"

Back at the dock, Chris exclaimed, "Yup! It's our roughest, toughest, most explosive season _ever_!" The host pulled a remote from his back pocket and pressed a large red button. The yacht exploded, sending its occupants screaming into the air.

Chris finished his drink and turned to the camera. "Right here on Total... Drama... Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

Total Drama: Revenge of the Island Theme Song

(As with the previous seasons, the theme song begins with spotlights popping out of various places. This time, however, the spotlights look very old and nearly broken. The first spotlight is dented in many places. The second spotlight has many cobwebs around it. The third one pops out of a barrel of toxic waste. The fourth and final one came out of a hole in a tree, with a tentacle wrapped around it.)

(A clapperboard clamps down and the camera goes out to Camp Wawanakwa where a creature is shown to the right side of the water. While it goes in the camp, four interns are shown carrying a tiki totem with a toxic logo on it, which appears to be too heavy for them. Chris is on top of it with a whip, whipping them to go faster.)

 _Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine_

(The camera then goes through the trees, up to the top of the cliff, and dives down into the lake.)

 _You guys are on my mind_

(At the bottom of the lake, a terrified Daniel is swimming away from a school of piranhas. A mysterious hook grabs him by his bathing suit and lifts him out of the water.)

 _You asked me what I wanted to be, and know I think the answer is plain to see_

(At the surface of the lake, Walter and Viktoriya are in an inflatable raft. Walter is controlling a high-tech fishing poll. Daniel shoots out of the water and lands in the raft. Unfortunately, his trunks were torn off and now he is standing naked in front of Viktoriya and Daniel. His bathing suit falls from the air onto Walter, covering his face.)

 _I wanna be famous_

(The camera pans over to the forest, where Xena is running away from a giant mutant gopher. Then, the camera shoots through the woods and to the waterfall.)

 _I wanna live close to the sun_

(Aidan, Jerome, and Deylanie are all in a canoe. The three are conversing, but their socialization is cut short when they fall over the edge of the waterfall.)

 _Oh, pack your bags, 'cause I've already won_

(Holly is sitting on a log spread out over the gorge of the waterfall. She is happily playing her handheld gaming device, but then the trio fall on top of Holly. Their combined weight is too much for the log, which snaps, sending the four of them into the water.)

 _Everything to prove, nothing in my way_

(Emma can be seen laughing at the aforementioned group's misfortune. Suddenly, Xavier and Aria fall out of the confessional, kissing passionately. Emma rolls her eyes and walks away, all without disturbing Xavier or Aria.)

 _I'll get there one day_

(The camera then moves over to the kitchen. Chef Hatchet pulls a mutant squirrel out of a pot of soup and then looks behind himself with an annoyed expression. The camera pans over to Lucian and Shaylie the counter, bickering away until Chef tosses the mutant squirrel at Lucian to shut them up. The squirrel attacks Lucian, and Shaylie laughs at him. Chef throws the whole pot of soup at her from off-screen and she stops laughing.)

 _Cuz I wanna be famous_

(The camera then goes over the beach where Aidan, Holly, Jerome, and Deylanie come out of the lake, completely soaked. The camera then pans over to show Zane sitting in his wheelchair on the Dock of Shame. He is not amused, and is sitting with his arms folded.)

 _Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na!_

(A three-headed seagull, with a fragment of net wrapped around all three of its necks, is seen sitting on the water as a mutant shark jumps over it and eats a trout in mid-air. The seagull appears to be safe until a mysterious tentacle grabs it and pulls it under the water.)

 _I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous_

(Jamie is by the end of the Dock of Shame and is sitting on the edge. He is writing in his journal, and then apparently notices Zane, because he starts waving in that direction. Suddenly, he is drenched in water. Annoyed and shocked, Jamie looks up and sees Chris with an empty bucket, strapped to a jetpack.)

 _I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous_

(The burst of fire from his jetpack transitions the scene from day to night, where Daniel and Georgie are holding hands until Chef comes over in a hazmat suit, holding a pair of tongs that holds the a radioactive marshmallow. Georgie and Daniel quickly retract from the dangerous marshmallow, and the camera zooms out to show the entire cast around the campfire. Everyone is whistling the theme while staring nervously at the marshmallow. The camera shows the season's title on a wooden sign, which flashes twice before the screen fades to black.)

* * *

Walter screamed as he sailed through the air and landed on a rock jutting out of the lake. He groaned as he slid into the water.

"Is he serious? _Explosives_?" Xavier snarled, paddling furiously for shore. "He could have killed us!"

Around the two boys, the other contestants flailed in the water. Everyone was either still recovering from the shock, complaining about how Chris did this to them, or have started to swim. All of the contestants knew how to swim, but the shock had rendered some of them less adept in the water.

"I can't say I'm surprised," Jerome muttered as he followed Xavier. "When Chris told us all to get on the yacht, I knew it was too good to be true."

Emma's head broke the surface, and she coughed up a large amount of water. Since she wore a ponytail, Emma's hair was _not_ in her face. "Huh. So this is what it like to have wet hair and be able to see."

"Move out of my way!"

"Don't touch me!"

The actress turned around and smirked at what she saw. As usual, Lucian and Shaylie were arguing with each other. Shaylie was trying to push Lucian out of her way, but he was too strong for her. Lucian grabbed Shaylie by the shoulders and shoved her away from him.

"I might _actually_ hit a girl this time," Lucian yelled at her as he began to swim away.

Emma laughed as Lucian swam past her. "Sure, go ahead and yell that to the world. It's only what got you eliminated last time."

"I never hit a girl and _you_ lied about it," Lucian corrected. "And it's not like I'd ever hit her... aside from self-defense."

The blonde teenager shrugged and pursed her lips. "Whatever floats your boat," she said before swimming away, leaving Lucian very irritated. Suddenly, a loud yell filled the air.

"ZANE!"

Jamie was desperately diving beneath the surface and back up every few seconds. "I've gotta find Zane! He can't swim! He needs help! His legs are broken!"

Nearby, Viktoriya let out a defeated sigh and dove underneath the water. Seconds later, she broke the surface, this time with her arms wrapped around Zane, who was spitting up water.

"Th-th-thank you," Zane managed to say in-between spits.

"Eh, you might be an ass, but I'm not about to let you die," Viktoriya admitted as she adjusted so Zane was on top of her back. "Hold on to my neck."

Jamie swam over quickly and smiled widely. "Thank you so much! You saved his life! If we're on the same team, we'll vote with you—"

"Shh!" Zane shushed him. "Ixnay on the otingvay." **[1]**

"You know I don't speak Pig Latin," Jamie whispered to him. "And she saved your life. It's the least you can do."

Zane scoffed. "And I think we should play it smart. We shouldn't just—"

"Um," Viktoriya interrupted, "you guys _do_ know I can hear every word you're saying, right?"

The two boys exchanged awkward glances, seemingly just remembering that Viktoriya was right there.

Aidan was desperately trying to keep afloat. Though he knew how to swim, he was not necessarily a _strong_ swimmer. Daniel noticed how slowly he was moving and swam back to his friend.

"Need some help, little buddy?" he asked with a smile.

The extroverted teenager smiled. "Yeah, I'd really appreciate that. I'm not the best swimmer," he admitted.

Aidan climbed onto Daniel's back and wrapped his arms around Daniel's torso. Daniel (who had somehow managed to keep his hat on the entire time) made his way to the shore, seemingly unaffected by the sudden two hundred pounds of weight on his back. The two guys were soon joined by Deylanie and Georgie.

"You okay there, hon?" Georgie asked, concerned.

"I'm just not the strongest swimmer," he repeated. "I'm fine, really."

Deylanie nodded. "Good. Let's get to shore then!"

"Sounds good!"

Georgie muttered something under her breath before catching up with her boyfriend, best friend, and best friend's girlfriend.

"I should have seen this coming!" Xena squeaked as she swam alongside Aria and Holly. "I don't know why my visions are so clouded when I am on this show."

Holly bit her tongue. Though she was a woman of science, she was also a woman of respect, having been taught to respect other people' beliefs, no matter how ridiculous she may find them.

"It's a mystery," she said, feigning as much interest as she could.

Aria scoffed. "Visions, shmisions. I'm going to _kill_ —" she paused when she saw the scared looks Holly and Xena gave her. "—Kill it in the first challenge..."

Shaylie climbed onto land, nearly out of breath.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Shaylie pinched her nose and scoffed. "God, this place smells worse than the one on the Jumbo Jet..." She let go of her nose and faced the camera. "Anyway, I may have been out pretty early last time, but I spent half of the season as an intern. I know how this show works inside and out. They're _all_ going down this time, _especially_ Lucian!"

* * *

The contestants, exhausted after their unexpected swim, collapsed on the beach, wrung out their clothes and poured water out of their shoes. "Okay, I think we're all here and safe," Aidan said after doing a quick headcount. "I counted sixteen of us."

"Damn it, I lost my wheelchair!" Zane complained. He was currently lying face-down on the sand while Jamie tried to turn him onto his back.

Xavier shrugged. "I'm sure Chris will provide you with a new one."

The strategist rolled his eyes. "And you're basing this off of Chris' well-known history of being generous and sympathetic?"

"No," Xavier replied. "But he _does_ have a history of loving drama and keeping people like you in the game as long as possible. And you can't very well stay in the game that long in your...," he grinned, " _posistion_."

Aria smacked him in the back of the head. "He's a major ass, but I don't need you turning back into one yourself, Papi."

Xavier rolled his eyes, but grinned all the same. "Freedom of speech is what makes my country great. I'm just expressing my God-given rights."

"Ah, but you're in Canada, Papi. And just because you have freedom of speech," she purred, "doesn't mean I can't smack you around for saying it."

Shaylie scoffed. "You two are going to give me diabetes," she snarled.

"Okay, Aria has killed people," Walter blurted out. "Are we, as a group, going to address this or what? I'm kind of afraid now."

"Maybe we should just all vote her off and be done with it," Daniel suggested.

Aria sighed and frowned, looking at the ground with a solemn look.

"We shouldn't judge her, okay?" Xavier said, biting his lip. "We've all done bad things!"

"The worst thing I've done is cheat on a math test," Aidan said. "I've never _killed_ someone!"

The PA system turned on and Chris McLean's voice filled the air. _"Attention, victims!"_ he exclaimed. " _You see the trail leading into the forest? Race to the end of the trail and do not disturb the wildlife. That would be bad."_

Jerome chuckled. "You mean cute little rabbits and birds?"

 _"You should be more worried about the radioactive animals. The tiniest sound can set them off. Like THIS!"_

Chris turned on an air horn through the PA system, making a very loud sound. Growls and grunts could be heard from the forest. Everyone screamed in terror and quickly ran into the cave.

"Lions!" Jamie screamed.

"Tigers!" Xena whimpered.

"Bears!" Lucian shouted.

"Oh my!" Aidan said, laughing. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Daniel turned to the others nervously. "Wait… before, did Chris say 'radioactive'?"

"I don't like the sound of that," Holly whimpered.

* * *

Deep in the woods, a bird was perched on a small tree branch. It chirped happily until a strange tongue-like appendage came out of a hole in the tree and wrapped itself around the bird. Wide-eyed, the bird looked behind itself and whimpered. The tongue took the bird into the hole and the chirping stopped.

Meters away, a finish line banner hung from between two tree branches.

Shaylie was the first to arrive and grinned widely. "First one on the shore and the first one to reach the finish line," she said to herself. "I am liking these odds of me ranking first in the whole competition."

She heard loud engine and then saw Chris arrive next to her via an ATV.

"Alright," the host said, "welcome back, Shaylie. You're the first to arrive and will be the first member of Team A!"

Daniel was the next to arrive. Chris continued with placing the teams. "Couldn't Smell Evil From a Mile Away, Team B!"

"Shut up!" Daniel snarled. "And you almost killed us, we have to have a word about that!" He punched the palm of his hand.

"All in due time, Captain Oblivious," Chris teased.

Jerome and Georgie followed soon after Daniel. "J-Dawg, Team A. Georgie Porgie, Team B."

"Where do you come up with these terrible, terrible nicknames?" Jerome questioned.

Viktoriya came running up, nearly tripping over a rock. Fortunately, she caught her balance. "From Russia With Love, Team A."

"Girl Hitter," Chris announced loudly as Lucian arrived, "you'll be on Team B."

"I did _not_ hit a girl and you damn well know it!" Lucian screamed. "The viewers at home know it, I know it, _Emma_ knows it."

"If everyone knows, stop getting so defensive," Chris told him, which only enraged him further.

Xavier and Aria arrived next. "Presidential Wannabee, Team A. Psycho Killer Without a Chainsaw or a Hook, Team B."

"Ha!" Xavier laughed, grinning. "The joke's on you, I take that as a compliment!"

"Whatever floats your boat," Chris said with a frown.

Emma arrived, nearly out of breath from running. Aidan was right behind her, even more out of breath. "New Heather, Team A. Mr. Boring, Team B."

"I'm not boring!" Aidan protested.

Chris shrugged. "You're one of the bottom three most discussed contestants on all the fan blogs. You're only ahead of Jerome and Xena."

"But I was friends with two finalists!" Aidan pointed out. "I had a girlfriend! I talked about what happened with my father!"

"Hey, I'm not the boring one," Chris laughed, "you are."

Deylanie, Jamie, and Zane were the next three to arrive. Jamie was carrying Zane on his shoulders due to the lack of an available wheelchair.

"Mr. Millionaire, Team A," Chris declared. "Party Girl, Team B. And Jamie's Boyfriend, Team A."

Zane clenched his fists. "'Jamie's Boyfriend'? Don't make me come over there and kick your ass!"

"You and _what_ working legs?" the sadistic host mocked.

"These!" Jamie said defensively, pointing to his own legs. In doing so, Zane fell off his back. The schemer moaned in agony.

"Would an intern get Jamie's Boyfriend a new wheelchair, please?" Chris ordered. Finally, Walter, Xena, and Holly all arrived. "Doc White, Team B. Foresight, Team A. And finally, Gamer Girl Holly, Team B."

Now that the teams were all situated, Viktoriya cleared his throat and raised her hand. "Chris, if I may ask you, what the HELL was that thing in the forest?"

"It sounded like something outta _Jurassic Park_!" Walter said, gulping.

"Relax," Chris said, smiling. "It will all make sense eventually… haha… haha… Muhaha! MUHAHAHAHA!" He ended up cackling so hard that he started tearing up. After wiping one away, Chris cleared his throat. "Now, this season of Total Drama will be a little bit different. For example, in every episode, someone will be eliminated."

Everyone gasped in shock.

"Whoa," Holly said. "Even in the first season, they had, like, two reward challenges."

"I'm good, aren't I?" Chris asked, grinning. "Don't bother answering, I know I am. Also, due to budget cuts, this season is half as long. Now we can't very well have sixteen contestants eliminated in thirteen episodes without at least _two_ double eliminations. And there will be absolutely _no_ returns or debuts this season of any kind!"

Everyone gasped once again.

"Don't worry. You know what? It's your first challenge," Chris said with a grin, "so I'll make this the _one and only_ reward challenge. And since it's extra hard this time, I'm gonna cut you a break and hide this bad boy somewhere in the campgrounds…" He reached from behind his back and lifted up a small wooden bust of his own head. "The Genuine McLean-Brand Chris Head — your free ticket back into the game… even if your team mates vote you off. Whoever finds it will become the most powerful player in Total Drama history!"

After letting it sink in to everyone that they could have an invincibility statue, Chris examined said statute and frowned. "Is the cleft on my chin really that big?"

"Yes," Xavier replied coldly.

Hurt, Chris frowned. "Moving on… time for the team names."

"Do we get to choose, like we did in season three?" Aidan asked, hopeful. "Because I was thinking—"

"Great suggestion, Aidan," Chris said, abruptly cutting him off. "But the names have already been chosen by _moi_." Chris faced Team A, which consisted of Shaylie, Jerome, Viktoriya, Xavier, Emma, Jamie, Zane and Xena. "Team A, you shall henceforth be known as: the Toxic Rats!"

The Toxic Rat's exchanged confused and nervous glances.

"Uh…" Jamie began, confused.

Chris cut him off. He faced the other team, which had Daniel, Georgie, Lucian, Aria, Aidan, Deylanie, Walter, and Holly. "And Team B, you are hereby dubbed: the Mutant Maggots."

Their reaction was as enthusiastic as the last.

Walter chuckled uneasily. "Why are both teams making reference to chemical waste and radioactivity?"

Before Chris could respond, he was interrupted by the loud roar of another mysterious creature — the same one they heard on the beach before. Over in the foliage, a gargantuan tree fell to the forest floor.

Georgie screamed and clung to Aidan, who happened to be right next to her, in terror. "It's that thing again!" she screamed.

"I'm too young and attractive to die," Deylanie said over-dramatically.

A ghastly moan arose from the woods, and another tree, this one much closer, fell. The teenagers screamed bloody murder and a third tree fell. The bushes right next to them rustled and Walter screeched like a girl and jumped into Viktoriya's arms. Finally, the beast jumped out of the bush…

Said beast was a small, hairless squirrel.

"It was just a squirrel?" Lucian laughed, a little uneasy.

"How did it knock down all of those trees?" Aria asked, confused.

The squirrel blinked, but instead of its eyelids opening and closing horizontally, they did so vertically. Holly screamed in terror.

"Holy crap, what _happened_ to the dastardly thing?" Xavier gasped in shock.

Chris smirked deviously. "While we were gone, I rented the island to a nice, family-oriented bio-hazardous waste disposal company. Sweet people."

The squirrel twitched its eye, which looked very weird due to its irregular eyelids, and sniffled. Chris continued on, "But the waste is having a teensy bit of an impact on the flora and fauna." As Chris finished, the squirrel stuck out its overly-long tongue and devoured a butterfly. The more squeamish contestants cried out in horror.

"Gross!" Walter scoffed. Then he grinned and chuckled. "Yet also cool."

Walter approached the mutant rodent and smiled at it. Suddenly, the squirrel roared loudly and its eyes turned a deep red. A jolt of red electricity shot out of its eyes and just barely missed Walter's feet. He yelled loudly and jumped into Viktoriya's arms again.

As if it were mocking him, the squirrel blew a raspberry at Walter and then scampered off into the forest.

Chris laughed maniacally. "Most… danger… _ever_!" he sang.

"This can't be legal, can it?" Aidan as, genuinely concerned. "I mean… chemical waste?"

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Aidan bit his lip and twiddled his thumbs while looking away from the camera, at the corner. "Okay," he said, turning his attention to the camera, "this could end badly. I have a huge fear of all things radioactive! I don't want to turn into a mutant! That would make getting into college really hard! I don't think there are any scholarships for mutants..."

...

Xavier scoffed. "If Chris thinks he can get away with this, he's got another thing coming." He pulled his cell phone out of his shirt pocket and dialed a number. "Good thing this phone is water proof or —" His eyes widened when he looked at the cell phone's screen. "NO BARS? _How_ am I supposed to manage the finances of my future campaigns with _no bars_? Where the hell is this island anyway? Narnia?"

* * *

"Now, before we start our very first challenge of the season, let's give out some rewards," Chris said. "Shaylie, because you made it up here before anyone else, your team gets a trampoline."

Chef Hatchet demonstrated the effectiveness of the trampoline by jumping up and down on it repeatedly.

"And the Rats get a hacksaw."

Chef Hatchet was shown to have a rusty hacksaw in his hand. Unfortunately, he slipped when he jumped up in the air again and fell to the ground.

Amused, Shaylie started laughing hysterically. In response, Chef threw the hacksaw at his head. Luckily, on the handle hit her forehead. Lucian was especially amused by this and started laughing at Shaylie misfortune, only to have Chef throw the trampoline at _him_.

"What do these items have to do with this bomb?" Chris asked, facing the camera. He held up a small explosive, grinning widely.

Nervously, Aidan swallowed. "He wouldn't try and do that again… would he?"

"I might," Chris answered, grinning. He faced the camera again. "Find out when we come back!"

* * *

Chris motioned to a gargantuan tree, where a totem hung from one of the branches, and then to another tree, where a similar totem was supported by a rope. One of the totems resembled a maggot, while the other looked similar to a rat. There was no doubt that these were meant to represent the teams' animals.

"Those are your team totems," Chris explained. "You need to cut them down and get them in the river and ride them back to the campgrounds. The first team there gets their pick of the cabins. But hurry, the totems are rigged with bombs that will explode if you don't plant them in front of your cabin in seven minutes or less… starting now."

The timer on the totems started to count down, so quickly, the contestants scrambled to their respective totems.

"We've gotta move quick!" Daniel exclaimed.

He approached the trampoline and moved it a few feet to the right of where it originally was. He frowned and moved it back to its original spot. "Any ideas?" he asked his team.

Walter tapped his chin. "We can use the trampolines to reach the top, but we have to find a way to cut it down."

"How come the other team got the hacksaw?" Holly complained. "Does Chris really think it's more difficult to improvise a way to get up there than it is to come up with a cutting tool?"

"Let's not worry about that," Georgie said. "There ain't nothing we can do about it. So let's just put our heads together and think."

Aidan swallowed. "We better think quickly," he said, pointing to the timer. "I don't feel like getting blown to bits today."

Meanwhile, the Toxic Rats were trying to figure out how to climb the tree without serious bodily harm.

Xavier tapped his chin. "Zane, you're going to have the tree."

"Why me?" Zane asked, irritated. "My legs are broken!"

The Republican teenager raised a brow. "Exactly. So if you fall, what's going to happen? Are you going to break your legs _more_?"

"Yes..?" Zane replied, bewildered by Xavier's ignorance. "Of course they will... Why don't you climb it?"

Xavier shook his head. "Oh no, I don't want to get hurt," he said simply.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Zane smacked his forehead.

* * *

Emma rolled her eyes. "Look, why don't we just all get on each other's shoulders? I'm sure we're all tall enough to reach there. Who ever ends up on top, we give them the hacksaw and have them saw down the totem pole. Easy."

Zane scoffed. "And why should we trust you?"

"Why would I purposefully cost us the challenge? That would only guarantee that I go home the first time we go to the elimination ceremony."

"And who says you aren't already?" Xavier muttered under his breath.

The blonde actress sighed. "Fine. If you are all _idiotic_ enough to ignore my _brilliant_ idea, then I don't know what to do. Maybe for the sake of my own sanity, I _should_ be off of the show."

"She has a point," Jerome said with a shrug. "It's not like we're coming up with anything else ourselves."

"It's still a bad idea," Zane argued. "How can we get the third person on the second person's shoulders? It's just not possible!"

"But if we're _careful_ , we can—"

"No! We'll just be wasting time!"

"Like how _you're_ wasting time _right now_?"

"Just shut up!"

"Come on, Zane. Be the bigger man and just _walk away_."

Zane was furious. "Go to hell! You're the reason I'm in this goddamn thing!"

"Okay, enough fighting everybody!" Viktoriya interrupted. "We just all need to relax."

Jerome nodded in approval. "She's right. Okay, now who here is in favor of Emma's plan? Raise your hand."

Emma, Jamie, Xena, and Jerome raised their hands. Xavier, Zane, and Shaylie stubbornly kept their hands at their sides. Viktoriya shrugged.

"I think it's not necessarily a _bad_ idea," she admitted, "but Zane's right. We need something to help us get the everyone beyond the second person on the shoulder's of people."

Jamie tapped his chin. "What we need is... some sort of machine or something to lift us."

Viktoriya sighed. "If only Walter was on our team. He's a great inventor."

* * *

"If only Viktoriya was on our team," Walter sighed, "she's great at motivating people and getting them to work together."

Holly raised a brow. "Our team isn't arguing like theirs, though."

"We might not be arguing, but we aren't making progress either," the inventor pointed out.

The two nerdy teens directed their attention to their team mates who, as Walter said, could not seem to agree on anything. While Georgie and Aidan wanted to have everyone jump from the trampoline onto the totem so the combined weight would cause the rope to break, Daniel and Deylanie wanted one person to go and see if they could untie the rope.

"It's just not safe," Daniel argued. "If it falls and we all get hurt, it's gonna be problematic for us!"

Aidan nodded. "I hear ya, dude, but I just think ours will be more effective and less time consuming. Eight heads work better than one."

"I just wish we could cut it somehow," Georgie complained. "It would be so much easier that way."

Deylanie gasped. "Wait, Aria! Do you still have your pocket knife!"

The Hispanic teenager shook her head. "They, uh... the producers took it away from me. Part of my parole, too."

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Georgie groaned. "She can't use knives on the show? Ugh, that might be a problem later on in challenges. What if a knife is absolutely necessary? What then?" She rubbed her temples and sighed. "Well, at least if we lose, she'll probably be the one to go home..."

* * *

"Hey, I have an idea!" Walter announced. "Aria may not be able to use tools, but I can!"

Their curiosity aroused, the rest of the Mutant Maggots walked over to Walter to see what he had. The inventor pulled a small device out of his pocket and presented it to his team mates. It was a small, sharp device with a blinking red light.

"What is it?" Daniel asked, dumbfounded.

"It's meant to peel apples at a quicker rate than normal," Walter explained. "I got the idea after wanting to eat an apple."

Aidan raised an eyebrow. "What does that red light mean?"

The white-haired teenager tapped his chin. "I'm ninety-percent sure that it means the last apple I peeled was a red one."

"Makes sense," Deylanie said.

Aidan smiled and threw his hands up in the air as if to celebrate. "Well, what are you waiting for, Walt? Let's do this!"

* * *

As Walter prepared himself to jump onto the trampoline, the Toxic Rats were preparing to execute a plan of their own.

Emma poked Xavier in the chest. "Alright, listen up. You're the biggest, so you should go on the bottom. Jerome will go on your shoulders."

"I hope you won't be _too_ upset that I'm above you," Jerome said sarcastically.

The conservative teenager rolled his eyes. " _Please_. I may be less of an ass than I was last year, but that doesn't mean that I have to put up with any of your shit." He bent his knees and placed his hands on the ground. "Just try to evenly distribute your weight."

Jerome nodded and stood on Xavier's shoulders. Jamie and Viktoriya held him up as Xavier stood up. For a few seconds, it looked as if Jerome was going to lose his balance. But years of break-dancing had blessed Jerome with balance, and he managed to stay on Xavier's shoulders.

"Don't get too excited," Zane told Emma, who was looking as smug as ever. "We still have to get five more people up there."

"Six," she corrected.

Zane snorted. "In case you haven't noticed, _my legs don't work_!"

"Why should that mean you don't help the team out?" Emma barked. "What if we put you on the bottom and had Xavier stand on your arm rests?"

Xavier threw Jerome off his shoulders. "That's a good idea," he said.

"I know it is, that's why I said it."

Zane rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath.

* * *

"Guys, trust me! I can _do_ this!" Walter protested as he climbed on the trampoline.

"I don't want to sound negative, bro, but you're probably just going to hurt yourself again," Aidan said, frowning.

Xena nodded. "I must agree. Trying to do this will most certainly result in physical pain."

"Gah!" Georgie gasped. She clutched her chest. "Would you _stop_ sneaking up on people like that? It's so weird! And why are you even over here? You're on the other team! That's what got you voted off last time... Okay, _why_ are you staring at me for?"

"I see a poor life choice in your future," Xena said simply, "and it is your _near_ future."

Georgie clenched her fists. "Don't talk to me like that! Just go away!"

Defeated, Xena sighed and walked back to her team.

"I can see why you guys voted her off last time," Deylanie mused. "What a weirdo."

Walter cracked his knuckles and stuck his tongue out as he made a small jump. He jumped again. And again, jumping higher each time. By the fifth jump, he had reached the totem pole and grabbed on with all his might. His team cringed, expecting him to fall at any second.

But he didn't.

"Hey!" Walter shouted happily. "I made it up there! Looks like Xena was wrong!"

"And she's _totally_ wrong about you making a bad choice later, babe," Daniel said. He kissed Georgie on the cheek.

Georgie smiled at her boyfriend. She looked up at Walter and frowned. "Are you sure you can climb to the top, Walt?"

"I've got this!" Walter assured her. He looked up at the timer and gasped. "Only three minutes left!"

"Hurry!" Daniel shouted.

Walter put the cutting device in his mouth and wrapped his arms around the totem pole. He started shimmying himself up. Finally, he reached the top and attached the device to the rope. Walter pressed a small button and frowned when nothing happened. He pressed the button a second time. Still nothing.

"Hey, what's the trouble up there?" Aidan called from below.

"I don't know!" Walter replied, annoyed. "Perhaps the device malfunctioned during the explosion? Or maybe in the lake?"

Deylanie threw her hands up in the air. "Do something! The other team is almost finished!"

The inventor bit his lip nervously. The he gasped, snapped his fingers, and smirked. "That's it! I'll rewire the components in my watch to send a force of electrons to the remote!"

"I don't know what you said," Daniel admitted, "but do it quickly!"

Walter opened the head of his watch and poked at a blue wire with a small screwdriver. The remote control started to beep, and then the light on the device turned green. It beeped twice, and then a loud sawing noise came from it. After a few seconds, the device unlatched from the rope, and the totem pole (along with Walter) fell to the ground. The Mutant Maggots cheered.

* * *

"We have to hurry! The other team is done!" Zane exclaimed. "Okay, just one more person." He leaned forward to avoid having the top of his head in Xavier's crotch. Above Xavier stood Jerome, Jamie, Viktoriya, Shaylie, Emma, and Xena in that order.

"It was a good idea having us lean against the tree for support," Viktoriya said, smiling below.

Jamie smiled back, looking up. "Thanks!" he replied.

"Hand up the hacksaw," Xena squeaked. "I can definitely reach the rope."

"Give her the saw, Emma," Zane ordered.

The actress frowned. "I don't have it! I thought Shaylie had it!"

"I thought Viktoriya had it!" Shaylie complained.

"I thought Jamie had it!" Viktoriya lamented.

"I thought Jerome had it!" Jamie admitted.

"I thought Xavier had it!" Jerome groaned.

"I thought Zane had it!" Xavier sighed.

Zane smacked his forehead. "And I see it too! But I can't move or the wheelchair is going to be too light for you too balance!"

The Toxic Rats all began to moan and complain, until Viktoriya gasped. "Wait!" she cried. "I have an idea!"

Shaylie scoffed. "This will be good," she snarked.

"Walter, baby!" Viktoriya called to her boyfriend, who was helping his team move the totem pole into the river. "Could you help us out?"

Lucian sighed. "Don't do it, dude! I know she's your girlfriend and all, but we can't risk losing!"

"You'd do the same for Courtney," Walter argued as he ran over to the Toxic Rats.

"Dude!" protested Daniel.

Walter arrived at the other team's totem pole and stopped. He looked up at Xena and tossed her the device. She was just able to catch it. "How do I—?"

"Attach it to the rope like clamp!" the white-haired teenager instructed.

She obeyed, and Walter pressed the button. Seconds later, the totem pole fell to the ground, and the Toxic Rats' human ladder soon followed.

"Thanks for helping us, babe," Viktoriya said, standing up. She gave her boyfriend a peck on the lips, but then frowned. "You know you didn't have to do that. I hope your team is understanding of why you helped me."

Walter shrugged. "I did the right thing," he told her.

She blushed, and then gave him another kiss.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

"I know what I did was right," Walter told the camera. "I have to help out my girlfriend. And besides, my team is so nice! Deylanie and Lucian are even former team mates of mine. I'm sure they'll understand!"

* * *

"Come on, Love Birds!" Georgie and Emma yelled at the same time.

Walter turned red (and Viktoriya even more so) and he quickly returned to his team. They lifted their respective totem polls as high as they could and made a dash for the river. The Toxic Rats arrived within seconds of their new rivals. Both teams dropped their totem into the lake with a _thud_.

Everyone climbed on to their respective totems, except Zane, who had to be tied to Jamie with the rope which previously held their totem. Both teams accelerated down the river at a rapid pace.

"No way are we losing this challenge!" Shaylie shouted fiercely.

"You might just be!" Daniel mocked as his team's totem began to pull ahead.

Lucian's eyes widened with fear. "Crap! There's a waterfall up ahead!"

"I _hate_ waterfalls!" Deylanie complained.

Not far behind, the Toxic Rats noticed what was in store for them shortly.

"If the bombs didn't kill us, then the waterfall surely won't!" Jamie suggested optimistically.

"Ignorance is bliss," Emma mumbled.

Everyone howled in terror as they flew off the waterfall and held on to the totem pole for dear life. Both teams soared through the air, landed with a loud _thud_ onto a large hill, and began racing down.

* * *

By the cabins, Chris and Chef Hatchet were relaxing in large white lawn chairs. A radio was on the grass beside Chef, who was reading a book. Chris sat across from him with a coconut drink in his hands. Although one cabin was old and dilapidated (perhaps even worse off than three years ago, when the first generation used them), the other was huge and ornate and had two stories.

"Ah, it feels _good_ to be back," Chris sighed, placing his hands behind his head.

The hosts heard a loud panting sound and turned around to see the source of the noise. Owen entered the campgrounds, stopped panting, and landed on his hands and knees.

"Hey, Chris!" Owen cried. "Get this, the boat wouldn't stop!"

Chris smirked and faced the camera. "Oh, look! It's former player Owen, who is once again _not_ competing this year!"

The chubby teenager didn't seem to hear Chris at first. "Hahaha, yeah, so I swam back to tell you that—" his eyes widened, "— _WHAT?_ Not competing? _AGAIN_?"

"I'm afraid that all of this time off from competing has rendered you and the other 'classic' competitors obsolete," Chris explained, grinning widely. He paused and then widened his grin even further. "Chef?"

Chef placed a small bomb with Chris' face on it on Owen's face. He gasped in terror and ran away in a panic. Chris pressed a red button a remote control, a loud explosion was heard, and Owen went flying through the air, screaming loudly.

Chris and Chef both laughed sadistically, but their stopped when they saw one of the teams rapidly approaching the campgrounds.

It was the Toxic Rats who arrived first, and they landed with a loud thud.

"Awesome!" Jamie cheered happily. "We made it!"

Chris pointed at the watch on his wrist and scolded the team. "Tick-tock"

The Rats noticed the timer and gasped. The timer displayed a remaining ten seconds... nine seconds... eight... seven...

"Quick!" Jerome shouted. "Let's get the nice cabin!"

Each team mate picked up the totem pole again and quickly ran to the large stump between the two cabins. When they placed the totem pole on the stump, the beeping stopped with only one second remaining.

They cheered loudly and high-fived each other. Suddenly, a large shadow flew over their heads. The Mutant Maggot's totem pole had crashed into the luxurious cabin. The crash victims quickly ran away from the cabin as the timer counted down from five seconds... four... three... two...

 **BOOM!**

The cabin exploded into a million pieces, leaving the Toxic Rats stunned and angry.

Chris approached them, smiling. "Too bad. It had an eight-person hot tub and air conditioning. So, as the only team with a cabin still standing, the Mutant Maggots win the first challenge!"

Still recovering from the second explosion of their day, the Mutant Maggots cheered weakly.

"I wouldn't cheer so fast," Chris told them. "You still have to vote someone off today!"

Zane raised an eyebrow. "What the heck are you talking about? You _just_ declared us the winners!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Chris said defensively, holding up his hands, "don't worry. The Toxic Rats still have to vote someone of."

The Maggots stopped their weak cheering, and Georgie approached Chris angrily. "Explain yourself, McLean!"

"Did I not mention that today would be the only time you're competing for a reward?" Chris asked, grinning widely. "I did, didn't I? You see, I was technically telling the truth, because you _are_ competing for a reward...

"... since _both_ teams have to send someone home tonight!"

This sudden turn of events was met with protests from everyone.

"Are you serious?" Emma complained. "Why would you be so purposefully deceptive about that?"

"Have you met me before?" Chris snickered.

Walter approached Chris. "So where are we supposed to stay?"

"Don't fret, my pet," the host replied, petting Walter's head, "because we've got a backup cabin for you! It's every bit as nice as the one you lost!"

Chef Hatchet piloted a small red helicopter carrying a cabin identical to the dilapidated, hovering above the rubble. He lowered the helicopter until the cabin was level with the ground. He pressed a button; the ropes holding onto the "new" cabin snapped, sending it to the ground.

"You've got to be kidding me," Deylanie complained.

"I should have seen this coming," Xena sighed.

Chris faced both teams. "Alright, I'll see _both_ teams at the first elimination ceremony of the season!"

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Emma flicked her ponytail and scoffed. "Do I think I'm going to go home first? Yes. Should I? Absolutely not. Unfortunately, my team is too bitter over last season. Hopefully I can _convince_ the others that Zane is worse than I was and have them join me in voting him off. He's my best bet at staying in the game."

...

Xena rubbed her arm nervously. "Although I am certain I will not be the first to go home again, I cannot help but worry for who _does_! I have seen who does and it is most unfair!"

...

Deylanie smiled at the camera. "What a day," she said. "I'm back here with all my friends, even though Viktoriya is on the other team. But whatever. This season, I'm going _all_ the way to the top. And I'm going to party all the way there! Yeah, baby!" She blew a kiss at the camera and waved seductively.

...

Aria sat with her hands covering her eyes. "I _know_ I'm going home first. Why wouldn't I? All of the mean people are on the other team, and after what I've done, I wouldn't be surprised if it was unanimous!" She started to cry, and then covered the camera with her left hand. The sobbing continued for quite some time.

...

Jamie smiled widely. "Man, I'm really excited to be here! I loved the first season! Anyway, being a millionaire is pretty sweet, even though I barely have seven hundred thousand left. I spent two hundred grand on a new house for my family, another fifty thousand funding my novel and helping Zane with his physical therapy and making his living conditions more comfortable. Another million would be great, though! I don't even know what I'd do with it!"

* * *

The sixteen contestants sat on the wooden tree stumps that acted as chairs at the bonfire. There were only eleven seats, so Daniel, Jerome, Lucian, and Viktoriya had elected to stay standing, while Zane had remained in his wheelchair. Chris stood behind the oil drum with a plate of fourteen marshmallows on top.

"The votes are cast," Chris told them. "Those who receive a _regular_ marshmallow can stay, but this season, one player will receive a very _special_ marshmallow, a marshmallow you do _not_ want to eat."

He motioned to Chef Hatchet, who wore a large yellow hazmat suit. Chef carried a small metal box with a yellow radioactive sign on the front. He opened the box, revealing two marshmallows glowing an ominous green.

"Whoever gets the Marshmallow of Toxic Loserdom is out of the contest," Chris continued, "which means you can't come back _ever_! Okay, I'll start with the Toxic Rats. The following players are safe... Shaylie!"

Chris tossed the marshmallow in her direction, and she happily caught it. She tossed it in her mouth and grinned.

"Jerome."

The break-dancer nodded and caught his marshmallow with one hand.

"Jamie."

"Awesome!" the writer cheered, grinning. He received his marshmallow from Chris and kissed it.

"Xena!"

The clairvoyant sighed in relief and opened her hands to catch her symbol of immunity. "I'm not first again," she said, smiling.

"Viktoriya!"

She caught her marshmallow and smiled.

"And Xavier!"

The Republican teenager sighed in relief and ate his marshmallow upon receiving it.

Everyone turned and faced Zane and Emma, both of whom looked quite nervous. The schemer tugged at his collar and turned to Jamie for support. Jamie touched his shoulder and offered a reassuring smile. The devious actress smirked at Shaylie, who smirked back.

"And the First Marshmallow of Toxic Loserdom goes to...

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"... Emma!"

The actress quickly dodged the radioactive marshmallow, which Chef Hatchet seemed almost too happy to throw at her. Emma clenched her fists in anger, and then shot daggers at Zane. "I'm not _that_ shocked," she admitted, "but seriously? You guys kept the cripple over _me_!"

"I'm still useful!" Zane sneered as he caught a regular marshmallow.

"We'll see about that," Chris chuckled. "Now, while the Rats' elimination might have been predictable, I think most everyone will be shocked with the results of the Maggots vote! ... Well, other than the Maggots of course. Their first regular marshmallow goes to... Aidan!"

The extroverted teen jokingly wiped sweat off his brow. Georgie and Daniel both laughed at this, but Aidan looked slightly disappointed that Deylanie did not seem to notice.

"Georgie!"

She happily caught her marshmallow, and then high-fived Aidan.

"Daniel!"

The fighter smirked and grabbed his marshmallow out of the air with one hand.

"Holly!"

Holly didn't bother to look up from her video game, and the marshmallow bounced off her face and landed on the screen.

"Deylanie!"

"Whoo!" she cheered.

"Lucian!"

He caught his marshmallow in the air, and then tossed it in his mouth, chewing happily.

All eyes turned to Walter and Aria, both without a marshmallow. Viktoriya gasped in shock and bit her lip nervously. Xavier sighed deeply and crossed his arms with a disappointed look on his face.

Chris chuckled sadistically and cracked his knuckles. "The _second_ Toxic Marshmallow of Loserdom goes to...

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"... Walter!"

The former boricua thought he said _her_ name for a brief moment, then realized she was safe. She let out a surprised gasp, genuinely not expecting to still be in the game. Thought she smiled when she caught her marshmallow and saw her boyfriend smile at her, her relief turned to guilt when she heard Viktoriya cry out and saw the look of betrayal on Walter's face.

Walter slumped down in his seat. "I... I can't say I'm not _entirely_ shocked," he admitted. "I knew why I was in the bottom two, but I didn't think I'd be going home."

"You guys kept this _sociopath_ and not _Walter_?" Viktoriya screamed, her face red as an apple.

Walter took his girlfriend's hands in his, with sad but strong eyes. "Babe, it's okay."

"No, it's not! You don't deserve to be out this early! You were only trying to help out your girlfriend! That's what a good person does!"

"I know, but they aren't entirely unjustified. If this had been a single elimination challenge, I would have actually cost us the win."

Viktoriya pouted. "It's still not right, Doc. You've—"

She was interrupted by a pair of lips pressing against her own. Walter wrapped his arms around her waist, and Viktoriya blushed deeply, her face now red with love rather than rage.

Most of the other contestants cheered for the couple, though some remained silent (Shaylie, Zane, and Emma).

"Ahem," Chris coughed loudly, grabbing the kissing teenagers' attention. "Emma and Walter, if you two would be so kind as to follow me."

Walter stood up and sighed. He turned to Emma and asked aloud, "I guess we're walking down the Dock of Shame?"

"Let's just get this over with," Emma scowled.

Chris grinned. "Actually, we came up with something new this season. You guys will _love_ it!"

* * *

Thought the Dock of Shame remained, no boat waited at its end; a towering catapult stood at the edge. Emma and Walter were squeezed in, and it was abundantly clear that there was only enough room for one person.

From a safe distance on the dock, Chris and Chef stood, both eagerly facing the catapult. "Say hello to the Hurl of Shame!" Chris bellowed. "Patent-pending."

"This isn't the last you've seen of me!" Emma insisted.

Walter rolled his eyes. "Chris, would you mind hurling us separately?"

The host approached the catapult and grabbed a large switch. He tapped his chin with his free hand and frowned. "Let me think about that..." He smirked sadistically. "No!"

 _Wham!_ Both Emma and Walter were launched into the sky, high above the lake. When the screaming stopped, Chris turned to face the camera.

"Two down, fourteen to go," Chris declared. "Who's next in line? Find out next time on Total... Drama... Revenge of the Island!"

...

...

...

* * *

 **(Voting Confessionals)**

Holly sighed deeply, then rubbed the back of her neck. "I know Walter screwed up in the challenge, but he's a nice guy! And besides, Aria's crazy! I don't want that kind of person on my team. I vote for Aria."

...

Daniel shrugged. "Do I feel bad that I'm voting for Walter?" He shrugged. "I guess. He's a cool dude and all, but he could have cost us the challenge if both teams didn't have to vote someone off anyway! And yeah, Aria is crazy, but she's bound to get voted off soon anyway, right?"

...

Aidan groaned loudly. "I really don't want to vote anyone on my team off, they're all so nice! ... Except Aria." He bit his lip and looked around nervously. "I'm kind of afraid of her. That's why she gets my vote." His eyes suddenly widened with fear. "Oh God... she might see this..." He quickly dashed out of the confessional.

...

Aria rubbed her temples softly, and then sighed, defeated. "Just relax, Aria. Maybe they won't vote you off? ... But why wouldn't they?" She suddenly slapped herself in the face. "Pull yourself together, Valencia! You won't be taken down that easy!" She faced the camera. "Sorry, Walt. I have to save my own skin."

...

Walter pulled the collar of his shirt, nervous. "I love Viktoriya, and I know I did the right thing by helping her. But did I do the _smart_ thing?" He moaned with worry. "I vote for Aria. I don't feel comfortable with a killer on the island."

...

Deylanie was applying lipstick, but stopped when her eyes met the camera. "It's gotta be Walter. The little guy's a puppy dog, but he's a puppy dog that could have cost us the challenge!"

...

Georgie crossed her legs. "Who do I vote for?" she snorted. "Deylanie. I, uh, don't like the way she's been ignoring Aidan lately, what's up with that? I know I'm probably wasting my vote, but whatever."

...

Lucian sat with his arms crossed, annoyed. "Man, I wish I didn't have this many nice people on the team. It only makes voting that much harder! I vote for Walter. He helped out Viktoriya, despite what I said! Plus, despite everything, Aria was there to help me take down Emma last season. That's got to count for something."

...

Xena was sitting cross-legged, her head propped up on her hands. "I know what's going to happen, but it may be dependent on who I vote for. There is a greater evil lurking, but I must not waste my vote! Voting for Emma is the only logical choice."

...

Xavier made an attempt to call someone, but to no avail. "Stupid isolated island," he grumbled. He turned to face the camera and scoffed. "Is this even a question? Emma."

...

Emma smirked devilishly. "I've got one other people voting with me. Unfortunately, I couldn't convince anybody else. But my team seemed argumentative enough that perhaps they won't _all_ vote for me."

...

Shaylie held a crisp fifty dollar bill. "Emma gave me fifty bucks to vote with her, but you know what? I don't care. I already have the money, what's to stop me from voting for her? And that's _exactly_ what I'm doing!"

...

Jamie tapped his chin. "Hmm, this is a _tough_ one," he lamented. "Oh, wait, no it's not! Emma! Emma! Emma! Emma! _Emma!_ "

...

Jerome chuckled, smiling. "I _wish_ I could vote for Xavier — and thought I _can_ , it would be a waste of a vote." He shrugged. "I vote for Emma. I'll get that smug jerk next time."

...

Viktoriya looked rather nervous. "Am I worried about Walter? Not _that_ much. Aria's on his team, and she's a psycho! Who do _I_ vote for, though? Definitely Emma. That / **censored** / _has_ to go!"

...

Zane looked more grim than usual. "What happens to me next?" he grumbled. "I either go home, or I wave goodbye to Emma as she walks down the Dock of Shame — my money's on the latter. And just to ensure that, I vote for Emma!" He scoffed. "Like there was any doubt!"

* * *

 **Elimination** **Order** : Emma & Walter.

 **Remaining Contestants** :

Toxic Rats: Shaylie, Jerome, Viktoriya, Xavier, Jamie, Zane, Xena

Mutant Maggots: Daniel, Georgie, Lucian, Aria, Aidan, Deylanie, Holly

* * *

 **[1]** \- For those of who who are fluent in Pig Latin, this translates to "nix on the voting". Don't thank me, thank the online translator I used.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : For those of you who where around for the entirety of TDWT, welcome back! If you're new here, go and read that one first or you won't understand anything! Regardless, I ask you all to please review, since it provides feedback that can help me make this story as good as possible!

Until next time, thanks for reading the chapter!


	2. Truth or Laser Shark

_Total Drama: Revenge of the Island_

 **Disclaimer** : The rights of _Total Drama_ belong to its distributors; Teletoon, Cartoon Network, Fresh TV, and Cake Entertainment. The original twenty-two characters, along with Chris and Chef, belong to the aforementioned companies. Fourteen of the main characters in this story belong to their respective creators, and two belong to me.

This story is rated T for mild violence, moderate language, and mild to moderate sexual themes. You have been warned.

 **Author's Note** : Thanks for all of the reviews, everybody! They mean a lot to me. I honestly didn't expect to get so many reviews from those who didn't even _submit_ characters! Also, sorry for the wait. Although school was already in session by the publication of last chapter, things are really kicking in gear here. I will do my best to get a new chapter out every week or so, but realistically, we're looking at every two weeks.

Also, the Ridonculous Race has ended! This was by far my FAVORITE season, and I was definitely satisfied with the winners.

Now, sit back and enjoy this just as much as I enjoyed writing it!

...

...

...

* * *

 _Truth or Laser Shark_

* * *

 _(Narrated by Chris McLean)_

Last time on Total Drama: Revenge of the Island...

The sixteen contestants from last season returned to battle it out in _another_ season, this time at old Camp Wawanakwa!

Oh, and the island has been exposed to a _teensy_ bit of radioactive waste. _What_? We had to spice things up a little.

Anyway, the contestants were _blown away_ by what this island had to offer.

After being treated an early morning swim, the contestants said hello to the island's wildlife, and did some totem surfing. EXPLOSIVE!

I said that this challenge was reward-based, and I _technically_ told the truth, because _both_ teams had to send someone home!

In the end, the Toxic Rats booted out Emma for her past actions. Hey, I'd do the same. The girl was _horrible_ last season.

And the Mutant Maggots sent Walter home for staying loyal to his girl. The dude may be down a million bucks, but he scored some _major_ brownie points!

Who will be next to go home, Hurl of Shame style? And how much pain can I put them through first?

Find out right now... on Total... Drama... Revenge of the Island!

* * *

 **Theme Song Is Played.**

* * *

Early in the morning, Viktoriya laid motionless in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She let out a long, exasperated sigh.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

The overachiever was exhausted, evident by her messy hair and the bags under her eyes. "I didn't get a wink of sleep last night," she confessed. "All night long, I worried for my Doc. I can't believe Chris just launched him into the sky, and with _Emma_ of all people!" She paused, then bit her lip. "I just hope he's alright. Jumping off a plane with a parachute is one thing, but being _launched into the sky_?"

She rubbed her eyes and sighed. "I shouldn't be like this. Walter would want me to be strong... He'd want me to win this..." She sat up straight and crossed her arms. "Well, you know what?" she began, determined. "I'm not going to let anyone stop me from winning this thing for Walter. Bring it on!"

* * *

Viktoriya sat up and stretched her arms, yawning. She carefully got out of the top bunk, careful as not to disturb Xena or Shaylie, both of whom were still asleep. There were enough bunks so that each girl had two beds to themselves. And even more room became available following Emma's elimination. Viktoriya unzipped her suitcase, carefully placed on top of the bottom bunk, and took out a large grey bath towel.

"My apologies, but would you mind keeping it down just a tad?"

Startled, Viktoriya did not reply at first. She blinked, then looked to see who she had woken. Xena sat cross-legged in her own bunk, meditating.

Though she was not at fault, Viktoriya was too tired to argue about it. "Sorry," she said in-between yawns.

"How'd you sleep?" Xena asked, her eyes never opening.

"Not to well," Viktoriya told her. "All I could think about was how poor Walter is—"

Abruptly, Xena began to hum very loudly and _very_ off-key.

Viktoriya raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Realizing how loud she was being, Xena blushed and chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry," she apologized, finally opening her eyes. "I just get really into meditation."

 _You just told me to keep it down, and now you're making these weird noises?_ Viktoriya thought. "I can relate," she said, walking over to the pale girl. "I, too, lose all sense of my surroundings whenever I come across a good book."

Xena smiled, stepping off the bed. "Oh, really? What's your favorite?"

"Perhaps you've heard of it? _The Communist Manifesto_. It's a political pamphlet by Karl Marx," she replied bluntly.

The small girl blinked, unsure of how to respond. "Oh, uh—" she began.

"Kidding," Viktoriya assured her, and the two girls shared a laugh.

Unbeknownst to either girl, Shaylie was awake in her own bed, staring at the wall with an annoyed look on her face.

* * *

"Sixty-one... sixty-two... sixty-three..."

Jerome felt the cold sweat running down his back, and was glad that he had not showered yet. His black basketball jersey was wet, the white '77' on the back glistening with evidence of his exercise. _Ugh, now I have to wash my pajamas_ , he thought with dread. _This shirt is gross now._

As he began another push-up, he was interrupted by an arrogant voice.

"Working out for basketball tryouts, I see?" Xavier laughed.

The break-dancer glared at his rival. "Keep up your racist remarks," Jerome said bitterly, standing up, "it'll only get you voted off. Remember what happened to that home schooled kid in season one?"

Xavier scoffed. "He should never have been voted off for stating his beliefs. It's a violation of free speech!"

"Sure."

Jerome noticed that Xavier still had a _severe_ case of bedhead. He made no attempt to hide is amusement. "Going for that Trump look, are we?."

"That man is a legend," Xavier defended, using one hand to present his messy hair. "I'd be _honored_ to have hair like his."

The African-Canadian teenager scoffed. "Whatever you say, Donald Frump."

"Whatever, you lousy Democrat," the conservative teenager continued. "And besides, I'm not saying anything that isn't true. You _do_ play on your school's basketball team, correct?"

Jerome folded his arms and smirked. "Actually, I'm not," he said quite proudly. "I break-dance."

"Not a sport," Xavier snarled, "and of _course_ you think _that's_ a real type of dancing."

"I'm going to walk away before I do something I regret," Jerome muttered, grabbing his towel as he made his way to the door.

"Jackass," Xavier muttered as he grabbed his own towel and followed.

In his own bunk, Jamie sat fully dressed. He let out a deep sigh, and as he watched his teammates' retreating backsides, a gentle nudging in the area of his thigh caught his attention. He glanced down to see Jamie, Jr. kneading his outer thigh (the other two lay a small way's away, still very much asleep). The tiny orange tabby looked up at Jamie, and let out a sympathetic mewl, in response to his owner's blatant distress.

Jamie smiled and scratched the top of his beloved kitten's head. Placing his hands along the edge of his bed, he pushed himself off his bed, and softly dropped to the floor. He picked a few assorted toiletries out of his duffelbag and headed toward the door of his cabin. As he was about to step across the threshold, he turned back, and stole one more look at his kittens.

"Wish me luck," he said with a wave, before turning back outside.

Jamie, Jr. waved back.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

"I know I should be used to having teammates that are hostile to each other," Jamie admitted, his arms crossed, "but it's still not enjoyable to watch. Jerome and Xavier are at each other's throats, Shaylie doesn't get along with anybody, nobody has warmed up to Zane yet, nobody knows who Xena _is_ , and then there's Viktoriya... a reasonably popular girl, but I'm not sure she has any friends in particular on the team.

"Zane and I _have_ to form an alliance with her," he exclaimed, "it's the only way any of us can avoid the Hurl of Shame!"

* * *

Aidan and Daniel sat next to each other on the deck of the cabin, chatting.

"So you're still undefeated? Even after over a year?" Aidan asked eagerly.

Daniel nodded, grinning widely. "Yup. What's my score again? ... Thirty to zero. Yeah, that's it. And that gap will just keep building. No matter how many people compete against me, eventually, they all go down."

"What's this about 'going down on me?' A little early, isn't it? Or am I just that irresistible?"

The two boys whipped their heads to see Georgie strutting towards them, a cheeky grin tugging at her lips. Deylanie walked beside her, chuckling at the innuendo.

"How are you ladies doing this morning?" Aidan asked, smiling at the two girls. "Did you sleep well?"

Deylanie scoffed. "No," she replied, crossing her arms. "Those beds were _so_ hard."

Georgie snickered.

"No, I'm serious. Those mattresses were extremely uncomfortable."

"Oh."

Aria walked past the group, and offered a smile and a wave. Her response was uncertainty from Georgie and Daniel, blatant fear from Aidan, and disbelief from Deylanie. The Hispanic teenager bit her lip and quickly walked over to the confessional.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Aria sat with her arms crossed. "I know that yesterday I was sort of a mess. I won't pretend that having my secrets revealed to the world hasn't had an impact on me. But I assure you, my worrying days are behind me. Emma is out early, which means that there's a huge target on my back. But Walter is out, too, and if his elimination proves anything, it's that all bets are off this season."

Aria took her pocket knife out of her breast pocket, and carved an ornate _P_ into the confessional. "Everyone here may view me as a villain. If that's the case, maybe it's time villains got their happy ending." **[1]**

* * *

The contestants began to congregate outside the cabins, and converse among each other. Shaylie stood with her arms folded and lips pursed, but a grin formed on her face when she saw the last two to arrive.

Holly had a small tree branch tangled in her red mane. Dirt covered her shirt, and there were a few scratches around her eyes. Zane looked far worse, with mud consuming the entirety of the wheels on his wheelchair. Leaves were in his hair as well, and he was clearly recovering from a bloody nose.

"What happened to you two?" Shaylie asked, laughing.

Holly and Zane looked at each other nervously.

"I was going for an early morning walk around the lake and fell in," Holly said.

"A bear chased us," Zane said at the same time.

The nerdy girl nodded with a forced neutral face. "Yes. The bear attacked me— _us_ as I was walking around the lake."

"Which was when you fell in?" Lucian inquired.

"Yes," Zane replied bluntly.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Holly sat with her legs crossed, her hands raking through her hair, trying to extract the twigs and other assorted refuse. "Okay," she confessed, "truth be told, I was out looking for the immunity idol this morning. Even with Emma gone, I'm still probably dead meat soon _unless_ I find it." She pointed to her body. "I'm not exactly the most athletic person, and Total Drama isn't know for its video game-related challenges."

She cracked her back, continuing. "I saw Zane looking for it, too. We agreed not to tell anyone that we saw the other there. We also agreed to tell the other once they found it, so they didn't waste any time." She paused, then defensively said, "But it's not an alliance! He's a scumbag and I'd never work with him!"

* * *

Viktoriya grabbed Xena's shoulder. "Hey, look, I'm sorry if I snapped at you sometimes yesterday, it's just that you kind of... freak people out when you sneak up on them."

The clairvoyant bit her lip nervously and blushed. "My apologies," she said, rubbing her arm. "Sometimes I forget that not everybody is as interested in auras as I am."

"Well, just know that I'm here for you... as a friend," Viktoriya offered, smiling.

Xena blushed and brushed away a loose hair. "Thank you!"

Before Xena could say anything else, a loud _vroom_ filled the air. The fourteen contestants turned to see Chris riding his ATV.

"Rise and shine, my wonderful victims!" Chris declared, his voice as loud as his grin. "How did you all find sleeping in the cabins? Comfortable enough for ya?"

"No," Xavier scoffed, stretching his arms. "How did the other cast sleep on those things for an entire summer? It felt like a bag of rocks."

Aidan nodded. "Seriously. I think the economy section on the plane last season might have been more comfortable."

Chris tapped his chin, smiling. "It was a rhetorical question. As if I _actually_ care about your comfort. But learning of your _dis_ comfort is awesome to hear! Anyway, it's time for your second challenge! Follow me to the Bay of Dismay!"

* * *

The two teams were instructed to follow Chris to the next challenge. He had sped away on his ATV, far ahead of the contestants, leaving them to their own devices (if only temporarily). Rather than segregate into their designated teams, the contestants paired off into their own cliques.

Lucian walked beside Shaylie and Jerome. He yawned loudly, rubbing his eyes.

"Looks like you had a rough night," Shaylie sneered as Lucian trudged sluggishly beside her.

Lucian glared up at his rival, but then his eyes widened in alarm. "Yeesh," he said with a grimace. "I did, but _clearly_ not as bad as you did."

"What are you talking about?" Shaylie snapped.

Lucian's face fell. "Oh, that's right," he said, his voice completely monotonous. "Your face is just naturally that horrifying."

"I'm out of here," Jerome muttered before walking backwards, leaving the two of them alone.

Shortly behind the bickering duo, two far less hostile contestants conversed while walking beside each other.

"I'm telling you, we've just got to cut taxes on the rich," Xavier prated, "or this country is going to go _down the drain_."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Papi, what have I said about discussing politics with me before I've had my morning coffee?"

The conservative teenager rolled his eyes and groaned. "To not to."

"Then _why_ are you talking about it?"

He said with a shrug, "It's what I love best. I don't ask you to stop complaining about all of the crap you're getting from everyone for your past. And you do _plenty_ of that."

Aria gasped, then made two fists. "What's got your _problem_? You've been a larger ass than usual lately. And you were pretty quick to defend me earlier. What's your damage?"

Xavier clenched his jaw as he looked away from his girlfriend. "I have no problem, Aria. Like you, I get cranky when I haven't had my morning coffee. Let's apologize to each other and be done with it."

"Fine," she muttered, though her tone suggested she was far from

Nearby Jamie and Zane, did their best to look away the fighting couple. As Jamie walked down the dirt path, he pushed Zane's wheelchair.

The writer noticed that his friend looked distracted by something. "Did you sleep well last night?" he asked.

Zane shrugged. "Not really," replied the schemer, "I had to pee last night, but I couldn't get down the cabin stairs by myself."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

After a few seconds of silence, Jamie tried to get the conversation going again. "So," he began, "what did you do this morning? You still have some leaves in your hair."

Zane brushed the straggler out of his hair and looked around nervously, though this went unnoticed by Jamie. "Oh, uh... I went for a walk."

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Zane sighed. "Yeah, of course I was out looking for the hidden immunity idol. I'm already planning on winning this whole game, but I might as well increase those odds, right? I'd be stupid _not_ to." He folded his arms. "Look, Jamie was nice enough to give me some money to help my family out... and I'm ashamed to admit that I accepted it. I don't like taking handouts. When I win, I'm going to pay Jamie back."

He rubbed his shoulder. "And why did I not tell Jamie? It's not that I don't trust him. Of _course_ I trust Jamie, I trust him with my life. He's already saved it once." He crossed his arms. "But I can't risk it getting out that I'm looking for this thing. If I find it and word got out, Shaylie or Aria or someone might try to steal it from me. And I _refuse_ to allow that to happen."

* * *

In the bay of Lake Wawanakwa, two small bleachers jutted out of the water. In the middle of the two bleachers was a large podium, where Chris McLean stood as happy as ever. He wore a blue tuxedo with a red bow tie. Above the abusive host was a scoreboard and a medium-sized display screen.

Divided into their respective teams, the contestants were strapped into the bleachers. The Toxic Rats were on the left bleacher, where Viktoriya, Jerome, and Shaylie were seated on the top row. Below them sat Zane, Jamie, Xavier, and Viktoriya. The Mutant Maggots were in the right bleacher, and Aidan, Daniel, Deylanie, and Georgie were on the bottom row. Lucian, Holly, and Aria were seated above them.

"Welcome to the 'How Well Do They Know You?' trivia game challenge!" Chris declared, throwing his hands up in the air as if to celebrate. "Everyone all strapped in all nice and snug?"

"Are these kid's harnesses?" Zane complained, fiddling with his harness.

Chris smirked. "Excellent observation, my crippled friend."

Zane clenched his fists in anger over the remark, but Jamie touched his shoulder, and the schemer stopped.

"Anyway, the challenge: I'll be asking players embarrassing personal questions. And I mean _majorly_ humiliating. If the player I'm talking about hits the poorly-wired buzzer and owns up to their humiliation before time runs out, their team gets a point. First team to seven wins part one and a distinct advantage in part two."

Chris pulled out a remote and grinned sadistically. " _But_ if no one owns up, _this_ happens..."

He pressed the large red button the remote. The Toxic Rats were sent to the bottom of lake, screaming. The seven teens were already startled, but that shock turned to terror when a two-legged shark swam towards the group rapidly. Seconds before the mutated shark could sink its teeth into Zane's flesh, Chris displayed a sudden act of mercy (though his motives were questionable) and the bleachers quickly rose to the surface.

"What the hell was wrong with that shark?" Jamie cried.

"I bet you it has something to do with the toxic waste Chris dumped," Zane muttered, sputtering out water.

Chris smirked. "Another brilliant observation from 'No Legs' Zane."

"Leave him alone!" Jamie shouted, his face turning red.

"Jamie," the host said with a feigned frown, "I'm sure that your boyfriend can fight his own battles."

Zane was nearly foaming at the mouth. "We're _not_ dating!"

"Oh, right," Chris said, chuckling once again. "I forgot, Facebook says that it's complicated."

 _Don't dignify him with a response_ , Zane thought, _it'll just lead to you getting angrier._

"Anywho," Chris continued, "if a team gets dunked, their opponents can steal by guessing which dunkee is guilty. Guess right and you get a point. Guess wrong and _this_ happens!"

He pressed the button a second time, sending the Mutant Maggots screaming into the water. After allowing them to experience a few seconds of terror, Chris pressed the button. The bleacher shot out of the water, its occupants soaked, scared, and gasping for air.

"Now that we understand the rules, let's start the game," Chris said, turning to the team on his left. "To the Rats: Now listen carefully. Who still eats baby food?"

The display screen showed a large purple question mark, and the sound of a baby crying was played.

Everyone on both teams laughed, save for Shaylie, whose face was reddening.

"Wow," Chris said with a frown. "First question, and already no one is biting? I guess the Maggots wanna take a dip with Fang, too?"

When Shaylie pressed the red button in front of her, she received a small shock.

After yelping in pain, she scoffed. "Those containers are LOADED with nutrients, and I waste less time chewing when I could be exercising."

Lucian snickered from across the bay. "Whatever you say, _baby_."

"Don't call me 'baby'!" Shaylie shrieked, her arms shaking with rage.

A 'ding' sounded, and the scoreboard confirmed that the Rats received their point.

Chris faced the Mutant Maggots and asked, "Who was beaten up by a girl in the first, second, _and_ third grade?"

Five pairs of eyes turned to Aidan.

"What?" the extroverted teenager asked, somewhat offended. "Why would you all assume it's me?"

Deylanie stammered for a response, but failed to find one beyond gibberish.

"Um," Georgie began, her eyes locked on Aidan's weak arms. "Was it you, bud? We won't judge you if it is."

"No!"

 **BUZZ!**

Daniel received a shock much larger than Shaylie, and the fighter yelped in pain. "Fine, it was me!" he admitted, rubbing his hand.

A point was awarded to the Mutant Maggots, as seen on the scoreboard.

"But I thought you were thirty for thirty!" Aidan asked, confused. "You've never lost a fight!"

"Not in my career," Daniel corrected. "That was long before it started... And besides, she was huge! I think she might have been held back a few times."

After a few seconds of silence, Aidan asked, "Okay, seriously? Why did you all assume it was me?"

Ignoring him, Chris turned to the Toxic Rats. "And it's one-all! Who failed their driving test _three_ times?"

A wrecked car was displayed on the screen, accompanied by three loud crashing noises.

The Rats looked at one another with uncertainty, until one of them sighed and hesitantly pressed the button. They received a small shock.

"I can see into the future, but I couldn't see over the steering wheel," Xena sighed, her voice overpowering a muted 'ding'.

Her meaner team mates snickered, but Viktoriya offered her a sympathetic look.

"It's okay," Viktoriya said, smiling. "Everyone has their strengths."

"Who has a criminal record?" Chris asked rather bluntly. Then he added in, "And there are actually two correct answers to this. But, you'll only get the point if it's NOT the obvious answer."

Aria shifted in her seat.

"So by 'obvious answer', I take you to mean that it's _not_ Aria," Daniel scoffed.

"But then who could it be?" Aidan wondered.

Deylanie shrugged and pressed the button. Like all the others, she received a small shock and cried out in pain.

"You were pretty quick to open up about that," Lucian noted.

"What did you do?" Georgie asked, her curiosity aroused (among other things).

The party girl shrugged. "Nothing major. Just some underage drinking, destruction of property, and public intoxication."

Her confession was followed by a 'ding'.

Chris turned back to the Rats. "So Viktoriya, how're you feeling since your boy toy left?"

"Don't test me, McLean."

"Just thought I'd ask, since the next truth is for one of your teammates. Seems one of them has taken to crushing on your nutty professor of a boyfriend. Not accounting for taste, who wants to own up?"

Viktorya gasped. "Somebody likes my Doc?"

For the next few seconds, nobody said anything. With a wide grin, Chris chuckled. "No response? I was _hoping_ for that!"

The Toxic Rats took a dive. At the lake's sandy floor, the seven teenagers screamed in terror when the mutated shark approached them. Zane almost lost his life when the shark lunged at him, but Chris pressed the button just in time. The now soaking-wet Rats appeared to be angry rather than scared.

Zane was the most enraged. "That's the _second_ time that _thing_ almost attacked me!"

"You mean Fang? Swell guy. Sharks can always tell when someone is good or bad," Chris informed him. He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Or was that dogs? Babies? I don't really care. The point is... is that you _don't_ get a point! Care to take a guess, Maggots?" Chris asked.

The Mutant Maggots looked at each other, all with the same expression on their face.

Lucian tapped his chin. "Jamie?"

"Correct!" Chris declared. "The first point-by-steal goes to the Maggots!"

The scoreboard changed to three to two, in favor of the Mutant Maggots. They cheered in celebration.

"You LIKE him?" Viktoriya asked, horrified.

"Another defender of traditional marriage," Xavier grinned.

" _No_ , you dolt," Viktoriya snapped, "it's because he's TAKEN. I'd be just as mad if Xena or Shaylie liked him... well, I'd be more mad about Shaylie, but that's because she's a psychopath."

Shaylie slammed her fist on the table. "I am _not_!"

"I agree," Lucian interjected. "She displays far more qualities of a _socio_ path."

"Really?" Zane said, chuckling for perhaps the first time in weeks. "You went from _me_ to _him_?"

Viktoriya scoffed. "Yeah. Because you're the complete package."

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

"This is terrible," Jamie complained. He groaned, then crossed his arms. "Now Viktoriya will never agree to an alliance. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she _voted_ for me!"

* * *

"No hard feelings?" Jamie asked Viktoriya, hopeful.

The overachiever crossed her arms and said nothing, looking away from the apologetic writer.

"Who has been banned from their local mall?" Chris asked the Mutant Maggots.

Holly's face turned as red as her curls. "Where are you finding this stuff out?" she whined as she pressed the button in front of her.

The scoreboard read four to two (and yet another ding followed), with the Maggots in the lead.

"What did you do?" Xavier asked, laughing. "Steal a video game?"

"Yes, actually."

"Wait, seriously?"

The gamer girl nodded. "Thankfully the mall decided not to press charges, since I was only ten at the time. I was just asked to never come back again."

"That's kind of funny," Georgie laughed.

Holly shook her head. "It makes Christmas shopping a pain in the butt. I have to go to a mall an hour from where I live!"

Chris continued the challenge. "Rats, who doesn't know who their father is?"

"That's kind of harsh," Jamie said, frowning.

Even Shaylie agreed. "Yeah, that's not embarrassing. That's just a mean thing to bring up."

Xavier turned to Jerome and scoffed. "Well? We're _waiting_."

"You're a real asshat, you know that?" Jerome grumbled, pressing the button. He received the shock while his eyes never stopped glaring at Xavier.

"Was I _wrong_?" Xavier asked, grinning widely.

Jerome frowned. "You still assumed that I didn't know who my father was based on the color of my skin. I don't _care_ if you were right. You didn't guess due to any prior knowledge, you did it because you're nothing but a racist motherf—"

"Whoa!" Chris interrupted. "You can't say _that_ on TV anymore, Jerome. The network got really angry at us for all of the slip-ups last season. Now we only have a PG-13 limit."

"Really, Jerome?" Xavier scolded. "Cursing? This is a kid's show. You can't just do this. You're supposed to be a role model for the children who watch this, like me."

Jamie snickered. "You're one of the children who watch this?" He frowned when he saw the strange looks he was getting. "Sorry. It was a dangling participle, I couldn't help myself."

"That's enough of a grammar lesson for one day, Jamie," Chris said as the scoreboard changed behind him to four to three. Okay, Maggots. Who is a closeted One Direction fan?"

Lucian sighed, then pressed the button. When he recovered from his shock, he told his team members, "For the good of the team..."

Daniel and Aidan snickered.

"Seriously, dude?" Daniel asked, laughing.

"I bet you even _Jamie_ doesn't like One Direction," Xavier mocked.

Jamie glared at the Republican. "What do you mean by that?"

The scoreboard 'dinged' and changed to five to three.

"Which contestant auditioned and was REJECTED from the show four times, before bribing the directors?" Chris asked the Toxic Rats as the display screen showed a dollar sign, followed by the sound of a cash register opening.

"Whoever did it, just own up!" Shaylie snapped. "We can't afford to lose any more points."

Xavier cursed under his breath before he pressed the red button. "Hey, part of the bribe is keeping it a secret!" he yelled at Chris before the delayed shock hit him.

The scoreboard awarded the Toxic Rats another point, bringing the total score to five to four.

"It makes sense that he'd use bribery," Jerome said with a smirk. "He _is_ an aspiring politician after all."

"Screw you."

"Screw _you_ , Donald Frump."

Chris cracked his knuckles. "There's only five contestants who haven't been given their own embarrassing truths yet," he pointed. "So, the last few questions could apply to _anybody_. Just to keep things interesting! Haha. Fun, right? Maggots, who once puked on his crush during an assembly?"

Aidan groaned. "The chicken they served for lunch was bad," he reasoned. "It wasn't my fault."

He pressed the buzzer and an electric current surged through his body. A 'ding' followed, and the scoreboard changed to six to four.

Before anyone could protest, Chris held up his hands defensively. "Hey, I said they _could_ apply to anyone. I didn't say they _would_. It's six to four, so the Rats really need to step up their game and _fast_! So here's your first chance at redemption, Rats. Who is deathly afraid of Barney the Dinosaur?"

The guilty contestant blushed a deep red when they saw the other contestants laughing hysterically. "Seriously, how do you _know_ some of this stuff?"

Jamie pressed the button, received the shock, and crossed his arms angrily.

"Wow," Shaylie laughed. "That's probably the most embarrassing one yet."

Chris placed his hands behind his back. "Okay, the score is six to five. If the Maggots own up to the question, then they win the advantage. If they do not, and the Toxic Rats correctly guess _and_ the next person on their team owns up, then they win!"

Daniel turned to his team mates. "No matter what it is, just confess. None of us will judge you."

"Who cheated on their significant other while on the show?"

Silence.

"Um... _What?"_ Holly asked, flabbergasted.

"Someone here is a cheater?" Jamie gasped.

Daniel tapped his chin. "Well, Holly is the only one of us to not be in a relationship." He turned to Chris. "Are you counting the manipulation done by Emma as cheating on my part?"

"Nope," Chris replied. "This cheater is for real... But they took too long to answer _sooo..."_

The Maggot's bleacher pulled into the water. At the bottom, Fang raced towards the contestants with celerity. They screamed, begging Chris to pull them back up. They did so, narrowly missing being Fang's next meal.

"Care to take a guess, Rats?" Chris asked eagerly.

Jamie bit his lip. "Guys, I think we should just call this question a draw. I mean, this is an extremely private matter that should only be discussed between the three people involved, and—"

"It's got to be Lucian or Aria," Shaylie joked. "They married each other last season."

"Incorrect!" Chris proclaimed.

Shaylie's eyes widened. "Wait, wait, wait. That wasn't a legitimate guess, I was just trying to make Lucian mad—"

"Don't care," Chris interrupted. "A guess is a guess."

He pressed the button, sending them into the lake. Seconds later, the bleachers came back up, its occupants soaking wet once again.

"I'm slightly disappointed," Chris said with a frown. "I kind of wanted it to be revealed. But, I'm sure it will come out at some point! Rats, who hasn't kissed a someone yet?"

Hesitantly, Xena pressed the red button in front of her (though the button was nowhere near as red as her face). She remained unfazed by the shock or the 'ding'.

"Are you satisfied?" she whimpered.

"Very," Chris replied, smirking.

Aidan offered her a smile from across the bay. "If it makes you feel any better, Deylanie was my first kiss."

The oracle smiled back weakly, blushing.

"It's down to the final question!" Chris declared. "And it goes to the Maggots. If they own up, they win the challenge," the scoreboard behind him changed to six to six, "but if they don't then the Rats have one last chance of winning. Maggots, here is your question... Who once peed themselves in class?"

Hardly anybody was able to contain their laughter.

"For the good of the team!" Lucian seethed, his face turning pink. He pressed the button and received the largest shock of all (along with the biggest scream of all). The shock surged through his body, relaxing certain muscles. When he felt his pants get warmer, his eyes widened. _What cruel, awful irony._ he thought.

Shaylie laughed the hardest. "You call _me_ a baby and you pissed your pants? Haha, how old were you?"

"It's not important," Lucian grit his teeth. "I answered the question."

"He was thirteen!" Chris confirmed. Over Shaylie's hysterical laughter and the Mutant Maggot's cheers, he continued. "The Mutant Maggots have won a distinct advantage in part two of the challenge. Will it be enough to save them from elimination? Who knows? Find out when we come back... but in the meantime..."

For the final time, the sadistic host pressed the large red button on the remote. Both teams were sent into the water this time, and they screamed all the same.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Aria folded her arms. "Am I relieved that Chris didn't ask me any embarrassing questions? Not really. I'm indifferent to be honest. What is he going to do? Tell everyone that I'm an _assassin?_ "

* * *

The fourteen contestants made their way back to the campgrounds through the woods. Aidan and Daniel were conversing at the head of the group, significantly further ahead from everyone else.

"So the cheater is one of our girlfriends," Aidan whispered. "Do you think it could be Deylanie?"

Daniel shrugged. "I really don't know, dude," he admitted. "I know _I_ didn't cheat."

"Me neither!"

"So you have your answer," Daniel muttered. "It's one of our girlfriends. And look, I'm obvious going to think it's Deylanie and _you're_ obviously going to think it's Georgie. I say we just both talk to them separately to avoid any unnecessary complications."

Aidan nodded. "That's a good idea. But who do you think either of them could have cheated _with_?"

"Xavier seems like the guy most likely to take another man's girl," Daniel mused. "Jerome... probably not. He was eliminated way before either of us got together with them. Jamie's gay, so he's out. Walter had his eye on Viktoriya, plus he doesn't really seem the type. Lucian was out too early, and then came back too _late_."

"What about during the Aftermaths?" Aidan pointed out. "The three of them were all there at the same time for a few weeks."

The fighter shook his head. "I hated Lucian on World Tour, even though it was for the right reasons. I know him better now and trust me: he isn't the type of guy to do this."

"And lastly there's Zane," Aidan said.

Daniel shuddered. "The thought of Zane with either of them makes me physically ill. But no. I doubt it's him. Both of our girls have better taste than him."

Though he was well within earshot, Zane did not respond.

* * *

The teams found themselves standing before a large obstacle course that was certainly not there this morning.

Chris's voice filled the air through the PA system. _"Welcome, players. Now that you're all here, it's time for part two of today's challenge..."_

He was standing on a small island in the middle of the obstacle course, far away from any potential danger. "The Mad Skillz Obstacle Course."

Everyone made certain to pay attention when they noticed the colossal boot connected to a swinging device on a large platform.

"The relay race begins with a mad dash from the kick-start. Forget coffee—" the boot swung back and forth, and a grating squeak sounded, "—if this thing doesn't get you going, _nothing_ will."

"Then it's on to the race against time that is the Cannonball Run." Three cannonballs shot through an already fallen-apart runway. Nine cannons were placed carefully, pointed downward, above the runway.

A large cannonball swung over a row of rolling logs. "Over to my personal fave, Wrecking Ball Alley. Hurts _so_ good."

Five thirty-foot-high precarious platforms were placed about a yard away from each other. "And moving on, we head to the gang-plank, complete with rabid mutant beavers..." Below, two muscular beavers with scales jutting out of their backs chewed on the bases of the platforms.

Four large red rubber balls went up and down, coming up from the mud. "... Followed by the Bouncy Agony of Double Trouble."

At the end of a dock, two ropes extended from a flagpole in the ground. A dozen or so giant wooden bats stuck out of the mud, in the center of which was a large baseball glove. "And finally, the Grand Slam, where you'll use ropes to swing into the giant baseball mitt while avoiding those deadly bats. Piece of cake."

Everyone exchanged looks of extreme uncertainty.

"Oh," Chris began, "and as you may remember, the Mutant Maggots won the first part of the challenge, so they get a distinct advantage in _this_ part!"

As the Mutant Maggots cheered, the Toxic Rats grumbled.

"So what do we get?" Aidan asked hopefully.

"It's not what you _get_ ," Chris explained as Chef approached the contestants with a small brown box, "but what the Toxic Rats _do_. They'll have to wear some snazzy specs that will impair their vision."

Chef Hatchet presented a pair of thick glasses to Shaylie, who shrugged. "Whatever. I'm still more athletic than anyone else on the other team."

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "You do know _I'm_ on the other team, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"..."

Chris chuckled. "These dork-tacular goggles won't make part two easy... or attractive... but it can be done... in theory. Let's see that theory put to the test! Harold?"

The lanky nerd stood at the beginning of the obstacle course, underneath the gargantuan boot. The glasses worn by the contestants were identical to the one's Harold normally wore.

"Why do I have to be here?" he complained. "I haven't competed since season two, episode twenty-three! And besides, the safety of this obstacle course, though questionable, has already been tested by a number of interns. If you wanted to have me make a cameo, why do it this way? I mean... gosh! Your decisions are most illog—"

Chris pressed a button, and the large boot swung backward.

Harold's eyes widened with fear.

The button was pressed, the boot swung, and Harold screamed. He fell into a cannonball, and he soon flew out of that as well, landing in the mud below. The beavers saw this happening from afar, their curiosity aroused. Harold's high pitched scream didn't do him any favors, and the beavers ran faster towards him.

"Monster beavers?!" Harold cried. _"Again?"_

"Hey! Don't you do anything to hurt those poor beavers, Harold!" Chris called to him, grinning sadistically. "We need them for the challenge!"

"OW! THEY'RE BITING ME!"

Chris shrugged. "I'm sure the beavers will be finished by the time the first contestant gets over there."

Jerome realized something "Wait a minute. There's six different things in the obstacle course, but there's seven players on a team!"

"I nearly forgot!" Chris gasped, though his tone suggested that he hadn't forgotten at all. "The seventh team member must race from the end of the obstacle course to _me_. First runner to arrive wins!"

Xavier smirked. "I call the runner."

"Oh no, my sweet Republican. _I'll_ be choosing the teams!" the host beamed. "We can't have you guys strategizing in the challenges. That would make them way less fun to watch!"

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Zane scoffed. "Knowing Chris, he'd probably put me in the footrace just so he can make a sick pun about it," he grumbled. "Whatever. The race is probably my best bet anyway." He punched the wall. "How the hell am I supposed to _DO_ any of these stupid challenges if my legs are broken?"

* * *

"First up at the Kickstart, it's Shaylie against Lucian."

The two rivals glared at each other.

"Then it's Xavier versus Aria versus the cannonballs!"

An uncomfortable distance apart from each other, both put on their glasses.

"Viktoriya faces Daniel in Wrecking Ball Alley..."

The overachiever and the fighter looked at the wrecking balls with fear.

"Jamie is up against Aidan at the Gangplank."

The two boys were huddled close together on the small platform, as there was barely enough room for one person let alone two.

"Jerome and Holly will battle Double Trouble."

"Xena and Georgie will fight for the Grand Slam."

"Finally, it's Zane versus Deylanie in the footrace!" Ha! Zane doing a _footrace_. First team to finish wins the whole shebang, and the other team loses a member tonight. Since it's a relay race, you'll need something to pass: your mascots! Oh, intern!"

A shaggy black-haired intern approached Lucian and Shaylie, a small pet crate in each hand. Shaylie's face lit up when she saw who was carrying the crates.

"Hey, Nick!" she smiled, waving. "Long time no see!" **[2]**

The intern smiled briefly before opening both crates. "Hey, Shay. Good luck in the challenge!"

Lucian snickered. "Your boyfriend needs a haircut," he said sarcastically.

"Well, your _girlfriend_ needs existence," Shaylie retorted.

"Um, Courtney and I are dating!" Lucian snapped.

"Is that still going on?"

"Shut up!"

Chris's loud fake coughing interrupted them. "Ahem! Hey, it's my turn to talk! Yeah! Like I was saying, each team will be carrying their mascots. Team Rat gets a mutant rat and Team Maggot gets a mutant maggot."

The intern, now wearing rubber gloves, quickly shoved the squirming maggot into Lucian's arms. The creature spewed a green gunk all over Lucian's jacket. He looked down in horror at his gooey jacket, shuddering. Shaylie hesitantly accepted the rat from Nick, and held it as far away from her body as her arms allowed.

"Aaaaaand GO!" Chris shouted, sounding an air horn.

Lucian had the wind knocked out of him almost instantly when the boot assaulted him in the rear.

"And Lucian gets the boot!"

His pain was in vain, for he landed off-course, in the mud, rather than at the next obstacle. The maggot viciously tore at his arm as Lucian screamed.

Shaylie smirked as Lucian struggled to pry his "mascot" off of his arm. She cracked her back and tightened her grip on the rat. With a running start, Shaylie jumped off of the platform and onto the next. As she made her way from platform to platform, she looked down to make sure that Lucian was still behind her. Her smug expression faded when she saw him making his way up the ladder.

"Shaylie takes the early lead!" Chris declared.

Not far behind, Lucian too jumped onto platform after platform, the maggot now tucked in his still-soiled jacket.

"But can Lucian catch up to her?"

"Okay, you've got this, Rodgers," the DJ said to himself. "You're the man. You can beat her."

Shaylie had similar thoughts. "Okay, you've got this, Andrews. You're the best and you _will_ beat him."

The hostile athlete was the first to complete her task, and she handed the viscous rat off to her team member. Xavier quickly accepted the rat, gave a nod of acknowledgement to Shaylie, and turned around to run.

"You won't be ahead for long!" Aria told him.

"We'll see!"

Chris continued his narration of the challenge, shouting, "The Rats take the lead!"

The boricua did not expect the gnawing on her neck. She cried out in pain and reached for the attacker, ready to defend herself. Relieved when it was only the maggot (and a puking, mud-covered Lucian on the floor), she scooped it up and took off for the challenge.

"But Aria's coming in hot from the rear! Will she make it through the cannonballs?"

Xavier's cries of pain echoed throughout the island. His voice became several octaves higher when a bowling boll had struck him in the crotch. All of the guys (and some of the girls) winced as Xavier fell to the ground, moaning in pain. The rat squirmed out of his grasp, but he was too weak to do anything about it.

Aria ran past him, and she waved flirtatiously; this distraction was enough to earn her a cannonball to the gut. She yelped in pain and grabbed the injured area. The rat maggot nearly left her hands, but she held on.

"Both Xavier and Aria are currently incapacitated. Will this slow down the challenge? Probably."

After what seemed like an eternity, Xavier stood up, grabbing his crotch. His eyes scanned the area, but there was no rat in sight. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his coccyx.

He grabbed for his leg to ease the pain. Instead of feeling the smooth khaki fabric, Xavier felt wet fur — then pain. The rat sunk its teeth into Xavier's fingers, and the Republican screamed once again. Adrenaline kicked in and Xavier ran through the cannonballs as quickly as his legs could carry him.

Successfully dodging every cannonball that came his way, Xavier shoved the rat into Viktoriya's hands.

"Finally, I'm free of that wretched, _vile_ creature!" Xavier hissed. "Lousy animal... he's probably a liberal!"

Viktoriya rolled her eyes and tucked the rat under her arm. "Whatever you say, man," she grumbled.

She wasted no time running down the dock, but stopped dead in her tracks when she came to the rolling logs. Her eyes widened with fear as they watched a wrecking ball swing back and forth.

Aria finally recovered from her injuries and sprinted through the cannonball course, dodging nearly every single one until the end. A small cannonball struck her in the back, sending her sprawling all over the floor.

"I'll take it from here," Daniel offered, picking up the maggot. The fighter held on to the slimy creature as tight as he could, making his way down to Wrecking Ball Alley.

Viktoriya had finally backed up enough courage to take the first step onto the rolling log.

"Okay, you've got this," she told herself as she tried to find her balance. "Just don't think about i—"

Before she could finish, a wrecking ball struck her side and she fell in the mud below, screaming.

Daniel gasped as he climbed onto the rolling log. Before he took another step, he looked down below with a concerned look on his face. "Oh my god," he called, "are you—"

A wrecking ball struck Daniel all the same, though the fighter would later find his head pounding rather than his abdomen.

"Ha!" Chris laughed. "Now _that's_ got to hurt."

In due time, both competitors made their way back to the start of their portion of the obstacle course. As Viktoriya and Daniel continued to bob and weave their way around the wrecking balls (Viktoriya with far more difficulty than she would ever admit), Jamie stood atop the Gangplanks, his left foot prepared to propel him forward at any moment.

"Come on, Viktoriya," he muttered to himself. He winced as he saw his teammate get caught up in the arc of one of the wrecking balls, launching her off the obstacle course, into the mud below. "Dang it."

"Well, she's certainly no Miley Cyrus."

Jamie whipped his head around, only to see Aidan, who was making a pair of finger pistols and smiling at his own reference. A moment's silence passed, before Aidan continued.

"...get it? Because... Miley Cyrus wrote a song called 'Wrecking Ball?'"

Jamie blinked, and then tilted his head to the side.

Aidan blushed. "Screw you," he muttered. "My mom thinks I'm funny." And he cast his eyes to the ground.

"Have you and I said so much as 'Hello' to each other before?" Jamie inquired, having been too lost in his own thoughts to notice Aidan's blatant theft of Zane's catchphrase.

Aidan mulled this over for a moment, scratching idly at his chin, and completely missing a flailing Daniel as he soared overhead with a very agitated maggot. Finally, with a small frown, and an echo of "Ow" from the mud below, he said, "I don't think so? I was out pretty early last season."

Jamie righted his head and extended a hand to the taller teen. "Well," he said, "it's nice to formally make your acquaintance."

Aidan smiled down at the writer. He took Jamie's hand in his own and gave it a firm shake. "Likewise," he said. "Y'know, you seem like a pretty cool dude."

"As do you," Jamie said, after looking Aidan over. "I feel like we would get along; I don't know why, but you seem like someone I could collaborate well with, in my writing."

Arching an eyebrow at this seemingly random assessment, Aidan muttered a "thanks."

Jamie nodded. "We should test that theory sometime."

Just as Aidan was about to respond, Viktoriya threw herself to the ground of the gangplanks with a resounding "THWUMP!"

"HERE," she gasped, holding the jittering rat up to Jamie.

As if a switched had flipped itself inside his mind, Jamie snatched the rat from Viktoriya and rounded on Aidan. "But now is not that time," he said, his usual chipper tone replaced with one of (frankly terrifying, Aidan would later realize) determination.

With the rat tucked beneath his arm, Jamie launched himself from the first gangplank, and began traversing the rest of the course. "Hasta la vista, sea cucumber!" he called over his shoulder, the spectacles blurring Aidan's look of sheer confusion.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Jamie removed a pen from behind his ear and uncapped it with his teeth. He pushed the sleeve of his shirt up to his elbow, and brought the pen to his skin. "'Hasta la vista, sea cucumber,'" he repeated to himself, scribbling on his skin with each word. "I need to remember that for a future story."

...

Aidan sat in the Confessional, a finger idly stroking his temple, and his face contorted into a look of utter perplexity. "Sea cucumber?" he asked aloud. "Why does that seem familiar?" **[3]**

* * *

Jamie tucked the squirming rat into his sweatshirt pocket as he jumped from platform to platform. He landed on the first one without issue, but the second jump landed him in the mud below.

The mutant beavers had inexplicably tied Harold to the base of one of the podiums, and the lanky nerd was screeching in terror.

"Help me!" Harold whined. He smiled and quickly said, "Congrats on winning the million dollars," before resuming screaming.

Jamie swallowed nervously and prepared for the worst. But it never came. At the sound of a loud thud (and the lack of death), Jamie opened his eyes. Aidan had apparently fallen off the platform, and was lying face-first in the mud. The extroverted boy turned pale when the beavers approached him.

"Gah!" he cried. "Don't kill me! I haven't learned how to ride a bike yet!"

Deciding to use this (unfortunate) distraction to his advantage, Jamie grabbed the rat before it could scurry off and ran to his succeeding team mate above.

"Jamie!" Jerome called, waving his hands. "Over here!"

After he gave the rat to Jerome, Jamie moaned in agony and fell to the ground.

"Coming through!" Aidan, who sported a black eye and was covered in scratches, bellowed, tripping over Jamie's nearly unconscious body.

Through sheer luck, the maggot landed right in Holly's open hands. The red-headed nerd shuddered when she felt how slimy the maggot was. She ran to catch up with Jerome as fast as her short legs could carry her, which was not very fast.

Jerome jumped, then landed onto the first bouncing ball. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Down. There wasn't a lot of progress being made.

Holly arrived as Jerome continued to bounce. She jumped onto the first bouncy ball, inadvertently knocking Jerome on to the second ball along with her. The force of two people on the ball at the same time caused both contestants to repeatedly bounce from ball to ball until they reached the end of their obstacle.

Both nerd and break-dancer moaned in agony as their bodies made contact with the solid deck. Before they slid off the dock and into the mud, their team mates managed to snatch their respective mascot.

Xena scooped up the creature, yelling in pain when it bit her hand. After a dew seconds of recovery, she dashed for the end of the dock, where a rope was waiting for her.

"Get back here, you!" Georgie shouted as the maggot crawled away from her.

The oracle seized this opportunity and prepared herself to jump. She lifted the bottom of her shirt and lifted it so it could fit in her mouth. She bit down, then placed the rat in her makeshift rat-carrier.

"Okay. Let's do this," she told herself, though her speech was nearly unintelligible due to the shirt in her mouth.

As Xena jumped off the dock and swung on the rope, Georgie finally snatched the maggot and tucked it under her armpit. She did her best to ignore the maggot's puke running down her arms, though the smell was starting to get to her. She focused her blurred eyes on the end of the dock, running as fast as she could.

"I'm not letting you win!" Georgie proclaimed as she grabbed on to the rope.

Though her build was wiry, the cage fighter had enough upper-body strength to support herself and the maggot with one hand. She took a deep breath and jumped as high as she could. Locking her knees, she braced for impact as she approached the large glove at a rapid speed, even passing Xena.

Xena and Georgie landed on the glove at the same time, immediately tossing their mascots to their last team mates..

The rat landed on Zane's lap, though the schemer felt nothing and did not notice until he looked down. Though he was slightly startled, he placed his hands on the wheels and pushed as fast as he could.

Deylanie caught the maggot, then smiled at the camera. "You guys wanna see the Mutant Maggots win? Just _watch_."

Though Zane was quickly passed by the party girl, he did not give up. The schemer leaned forward and pushed the wheels of his chair faster and harder, breathing heavily. Startled by the sudden boost of speed, the rat started clawing at Zane's stomach. He cried out in pain, but tried not to let this stop him.

Likewise, the maggot was throwing up all over Deylanie's shirt. When the vomit found its way down into her cleavage, Deylanie began to feel sick herself, but she did not let herself throw it up; she swallowed, not wanting to see this morning's breakfast a second time.

The rat's attack proved too much for Zane to handle. He grabbed the rat's body, stopping dead in his tracks. This sudden stop caused him to fly out of his chair, landing right at Chris's feet.

"Did I win?" Zane asked, hopeful.

Chris shook his head. "Just show me the rat, and you're golden."

He reached for the creature, but it was nowhere to be found. The rat, terrified of the abrupt landing, scampered away.

"Come back!" Zane cried as Deylanie jumped over him, maggot in hand.

"The Maggots win!" Chris declared, causing them to cheer. "To the Maggots, the spoils: McLean brand soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Guaranteed to wash off the stink."

Those on the winning team (especially the muddier ones) cheered even louder. Georgie and Daniel hugged and Holly and Lucian high-fived. Aidan extended his arms out to hug Deylanie, but she did not seem to notice and instead playfully slapped Georgie on the back. His face reddening, Aidan put his arms down.

"Rats, see _you_ at the elimination ceremony," Chris continued.

Xavier scoffed, his arms crossed. "Thanks for letting us lose, _Zane_!"

Before the schemer could reply, Jamie stepped in. "Hey!" he snapped, poking the conservative's red chest. "He did his best!"

"Did he do his best when he manipulated you last season?"

"Shut _up!"_

Enraged at the verbal assault on her boyfriend, Aria stormed over to Jamie, her hand in a fast.

"Leave my _Papi_ alone!" she hissed.

Zane snickered. "You need your woman to come fight your battles for you?"

"Don't make me violate my parole!" Aria threatened.

Xena swallowed. "My team, can't we just work together? Surely we can win the next challenge if we do so."

"Maybe after _someone_ gets voted off," Viktoriya whispered to Xena, her eyes never leaving her target as she spoke.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Harold had several bruises and scratches covering his body. His head was wrapped with gauze, and he sported a sling. "Those stupid beavers," he complained with a wheeze. "Why did Chris bring me back to demonstrate the challenge anyway? I cannot see any reasonable explanation beyond fan service." He tapped his chin, then smiled. "I guess that means I'm one of the more popular veterans. Cool.

"Anyway, you are all probably wondering what I've been doing with myself these past three years since I've competed. The fame has kind of dwindled down, with most of it being directed to the new contestants, so I've been able to keep on the down-low. I've graduated high school, and intend to attend a university and study history. Also—"

Chris's voice on the loudspeaker overpowered Harold's. "No one care's, Harold!"

* * *

The flames crackled against the moonlight as Chris eyed the seven campers slumped in their seats smiled. Smiling, he tapped the oil drum, where six marshmallows were arranged on a platter. Next to Chris stood the brooding Chef Hatchet, who wore a yellow hazmat suit, carrying the radioactive box.

The tension was thick at the marshmallow ceremony. All but Xena were staring someone down, hatred in their eyes. Xena looked over to Viktoriya for support, but found her staring at the same person from before.

"Ready?" Chris asked, grinning. "Everyone gets a marshmallow, even the loser, but that's one marshmallow you do _not_ want to eat."

Chef Hatchet flipped open the radioactive box, where a single glowing marshmallow was placed.

Chris continued, grinning the entire time. "To the votes. The following people are safe... Viktoriya."

She smirked smugly, then caught the tasty treat in her mouth as it was tossed her way.

"Jerome."

"Upset your plan didn't work?" Jerome snorted, his face turned to Xavier. The Republican said nothing, but scoffed and looked away.

"Xena."

The small girl sighed with relief, clutching the marshmallow to her chest once she caught it.

"Shaylie."

The blonde-haired girl smiled triumphantly as she caught the marshmallow.

"And, to my shock and certainly to that of the viewers... Zane! You're safe as well."

Zane was certainly shocked, his eyes wide as dinner plates. He did not move a single muscle, and did not react when the marshmallow bounced off his cheek and into his lap.

"This leaves Xavier and Jamie."

Both boys looked very surprised that their names had not yet been called. Zane, finally back to reality, swallowed nervously. Xavier looked around the campfire, wondering who possibly would have voted for him. Jamie did the same, though he did so with a feeling of betrayal rather than hostility.

"And the marshmallow of Toxic Loserdom goes to...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Jamie!"

The conservative couldn't help but smirk as he caught his non-toxic marshmallow. Next to him, Jamie sat slumped in his seat, speechless. The writer managed to dodge the incoming radioactive marshmallow, the sad expression never leaving his freckled face.

"No," Zane protested, "you can't be serious!"

"I'm afraid I am," Chris said, though his tone suggested he was all but sympathetic.

Zane clenched his fists and turned to his team, furious. "Why the hell did you guys keep _Xavier_ over _Jamie_?"

"Clearly our team has great taste," Xavier commented, smirking.

Jamie sighed deeply, then stood up. "Wow. I can't say I'm shocked... I did win last season, and it would be a tad unfair if I won again."

"But you deserve the money!" Zane insisted.

The glasses-wearing teen bent down so that he his face was level with Zane's. "Go and win this one for me, okay?"

"How the heck am I supposed to do that?" Zane muttered, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. "You're the only one on this stupid show who likes me. The next time this team loses, I'm a goner and you know it!"

Jamie put his hand on Zane's shoulder. "Maybe, maybe not. You've changed over the past year, I can see that. You've seen what you did and you've apologized for it. Emma never did that, that's why she got voted off last time. But did they vote _you_ off this time? No. Whether or not they're going to believe it, you've _changed_. Go and prove them wrong."

* * *

The remaining Toxic Rats gathered at the end of the dock to see their former team mate off, though some looked less happy about it than others. Though Xavier looked ecstatic, Zane had a sour expression on his face.

Jamie's legs hung over the spoon of the catapult, his arms crossed over his chest. "Can I have my cats?" he asked.

"Let me think about that," Chris replied, thoughtfully, tapping his chin as he spoke. "No."

Zane noticed the crestfallen look on his friend's face. "I'll take good care of them," he swore.

"Are you sure?" Jamie asked, well aware of the history his furry friends had with his not-so-furry one.

He nodded, giving a thumbs up. "Hey, you forgave me for what I did, why can't they? Besides, I'm sure they'd be happy to have a familiar face take care of them."

Chris coughed loudly, interrupting. "As touching as this is, we still have someone to hurl." He turned to Jamie. "Any final words?"

"Just a few," Jamie replied. "I—"

 _Whoop!_ Jamie's "dying words" were never said, his voice delivering only screams as he was launched into the midnight sky. He soared over the tops of the clouds, until his figure was out of sight.

"Thirteen remain," Chris said to the camera. "Who will go home next? How will Zane deal with his only ally out of the game? And when are Aria and Xavier going to patch things up? Find out next time on Total... Drama... Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessionals)**

Viktoriya pointed at the camera accusingly. "Listen, Jamie. I want to say this is nothing personal," she began, "but it _is_ personal. I know my Doc would never leave me for _you_ , but I just don't feel comfortable with you around, knowing that you like him! How can you like someone in a relationship? Have some boundaries!"

...

Jamie had his sleeve up, with messy writing visible on the skin. "Today I went from wanting to ask Viktoriya to be in an alliance to having her despise me," he complained. "And I didn't even have to do anything! My vote goes to Xavier. Not only is a an absolute racist, bigoted, close-minded, _homophobic jerk_ , but he also hurt my friend...'s feelings. I think. But whatever, _NOBODY_ messes with my friends."

...

Xavier crossed his arms and had an annoyed look on his face. "I _want_ to vote for Jerome or Zane, but Viktoriya _insists_ that I join her in voting for Jamie. She told me that I'd be throwing my vote away," he explained, "which I completely agree with. Voting for a third party candidate is _really_ throwing your vote away." He scoffed. "I'd rather vote Democrat."

...

Jerome waved "goodbye" to the camera, smirking. "See you, ya racist jerk!" he laughed.

...

Shaylie held a soccer ball, dribbling it between hands. She smirked. "I _was_ going to vote Zane off. He's impossible to work with _and_ he cost us the challenge. But Viktoriya made a very compelling argument: eliminate Zane's greatest ally as to destroy his confidence before voting him off." Her smirk widened. "This girl is devious, I love it!"

...

Zane clenched his fists. "Isn't it obvious?" he sneered. "Xavier's got to go. The guy is a major _jerk_! All he does is harass Jerome for his race, and that's not cool." He shook his head. "Honestly, how did he last so long last season?"

...

Xena chewed a strand of her hair. "I... I vote for Jamie," she said quietly. "I would much rather vote for Zane or Xavier, but Viktoriya insists that Jamie's crush on her boyfriend has seriously affected her performance." She rubbed her arm nervously. "I'm sorry."

* * *

 **Elimination** **Order** : Emma & Walter, Jamie.

 **Remaining Contestants** :

Toxic Rats: Shaylie, Jerome, Viktoriya, Xavier, Zane, Xena

Mutant Maggots: Daniel, Georgie, Lucian, Aria, Aidan, Deylanie, Holly

* * *

 **[1]** \- This is a reference to _Once Upon a Time_ , a show that Aria's creator LOVES.

 **[2]** \- In case you didn't pick it up, this is a reference to when Shaylie served as an intern in Total Drama World Tour.

 **[3]** \- This is an inside joke between Jamie am I, the creator of Jamie, and myself. The entirety of the conversation is basically a reference to how Aidan and Jamie, who are based on us respectively, have not ever interacted in the story, despite us being good friends in real life.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Last season's winner and one my favorite characters to write for has been eliminated! I hope that I did not make his elimination too obvious. It was bound to happen eventually, but I hope that you were surprised by it happening this early. I did my best to make Xavier _and_ Jamie both seem like obvious candidates for elimination.

I eliminated Jamie for quite a few reasons. He _won_ last season, for starters. I won't be exclusively eliminating contestants JUST because they made it far in the previous, but it's something to consider. But the main reason, aside from development for Zane, is that Jamie was a kind and optimistic character. This season is going to be extremely dark and serious (beyond the absurdity of the radioactivity).

Jamie was an amazing character to write, and his creator is a good friend of mine. But I cannot play favorites, and it was truly Jamie's time to go. I hope too many of you aren't heartbroken.

Until next time, thanks for reading the chapter!


	3. Ice Ice Baby

_Total Drama: Revenge of the Island_

 **Disclaimer** : The rights of _Total Drama_ belong to its distributors; Teletoon, Cartoon Network, Fresh TV, and Cake Entertainment. The original twenty-two characters, along with Chris and Chef, belong to the aforementioned companies. Fourteen of the main characters in this story belong to their respective creators, and two belong to me.

This story is rated T for mild violence, moderate language, and mild to moderate sexual themes. You have been warned.

 **Author's Note:** A lot of you mentioned that Lucian and Shaylie "were on good terms" at the end of last season. I'm not sure what y'all are smoking, but they were most definitely not on good terms. Yes, they made up in the first (or second) Aftermath, but there was a lot of hostility afterwards, especially in the finale.

Oh, and props to Jamie am I for writing the interaction between Jamie and Aidan last chapter. He's a far better writer than I am.

My apologies for the long wait, but school is my main priority, considering that college is right around the corner.

This chapter is dedicated to my math teacher, who passed away unexpectedly in late September.

Now, sit back and enjoy this just as much as I enjoyed writing it!

...

...

...

* * *

 **DEDICATED TO LEON VARJIAN**

 **1951-2015**

* * *

 _Ice Ice Baby_

* * *

 _(Narrated by Chris McLean)_

Last time on Total Drama: Revenge of the Island...

We learned that although the fourteen remaining contestants came to win, they had a _lot_ of juicy stuff to hide! Ha!

One of those juicy tidbits we learned was that someone on the Mutant Maggots is a cheater. Ooh, _tension_!

Though the Toxic Rats did their best, they lost both of the challenges... It's kind of pathetic, really...

But that day, we saw a lot more interesting things than in the challenges:

Xavier and Aria appear to be having relationship troubles...

Viktoriya and Xena seem to be forming a friendship...

And Shaylie and Lucian continue to completely and utterly _loathe_ each other. Hahaha!

In the end, season three winner Jamie was sent packing, Hurl of Shame style! I love my job...

Stay tuned as more things blow up, more contestants throw up... and some even try to _hook up_.

Right now on Total... Drama... Revenge of the Island!

* * *

 **Theme Song Is Played.**

* * *

Murmurs of conversation sounded from the mess hall as the remaining contestants sat down for breakfast. The scents of mold and mildew lingered about the hall, mingling together and slithering through the moist air. The contestants thought this gnarly aroma just as well, as it at least covered up the even more revolting stench of Chef Hatchet's latest concoction.

While the competitors picked cautiously at their food, the burly Chef was in the kitchen, where he had engaged in fierce combat with a cloud of mutated flies. Armed with a mop, Chef Hatchet swung wildly at the swarm of six-legged beasts. To his horror, the flies devoured the mop, in a flurry of wings and acidic vomit.

Chef's eyes widened and he turned on his heel and ran frantically through the dining area. He rushed by Daniel, who had settled down to eat with Aidan and his usual group, and burst through the main entrance without so much as a backward glance.

The brawler paid no mind to the retreating Chef, nor to the mass of insects that had followed him out the door. His focus remained on trying to swallow his spoonful of "oatmeal surprise." Most of the focus was directed to not thinking of what the surprise part might be.

"I think I just swallowed a maggot," Aidan gagged, his face green as his eyes. "Did _Chef_ even cook the meals on the plane last season? I swear, the food was actually half-decent there... especially in first class."

His girlfriend moaned, clutching her stomach. "Don't remind me. I miss the bacon _so_ much."

"And the eggs," Georgie added.

Daniel slammed his fist down on the table, startling his team. "Doesn't Chef know that we could perform better in challenges with _actual_ food? It would create a heck of a lot more drama if we were well-nourished."

"Chris doesn't look at it that way," Aria said, her arms crossed over her chest. "All that man wants is to see us suffer, and one of the ways to do that is to feed us this… I'd say 'food', but I can't be sure."

"Suffering," Daniel scoffed, clenching his jaw. "I bet you know all about _that_."

Aria stood up, shooting daggers at her teammate. "My past is not up for discussion!" she seethed, fists clenched. "I did what my _family_ told me to do. I was just a little girl!"

"You know, that's not really an excuse at all," Daniel barked. "And you were 'just a little girl'? I'm sure the _other_ little girls will keep that in mind when you have to tell them to their faces that you _killed_ their family members."

"I'm not a _monster_!"

"No, you're just a _serial killer_."

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Aidan tugged at his sweatshirt collar. "Look, I'm _terrified_ of Aria now," he admitted, "but I don't think Daniel antagonizing her will do him any favors. I'm honestly _worried_ for his safety; the girl has _killed people_! I don't think she'd do anything on international television, what with all of the cameras watching her every move, but… it makes you think. I'll just keep my distance."

...

Daniel scowled. "Why should I treat her with any respect? She's a _murderer_ and untrustworthy. How can I trust her around my girlfriend and friends? I can't. I was stupid to not vote her off two days ago. She might have been gone... Whatever. No matter the cost, I will make sure she goes jail... so she can never kill again."

* * *

Shaylie poked at her breakfast with her fork; it jiggled, sending a shiver down her spine. The athlete could have sworn she saw the glob move when Chef plopped it down on her plate.

A grin formed across her face when she saw Lucian walking past her table. _Time for a little fun,_ she thought.

She stuck her leg out, tripping Lucian. He was caught so off guard that he did not have time to react. He fell to the ground in pain, face-first onto his tray.

He spit out pieces of oatmeal (thought the majority of his portion covered his face). "What happened?" he sputtered.

"Watch where you're going," Shaylie laughed. "You could really hurt someone, you know."

Confusion turned to anger, and Lucian furiously stood up, his fists shaking. "Can you just leave me alone?" he cried. "Honestly, you're acting like a twelve year old!"

Unfazed, Shaylie wiped some of the oatmeal off his face with her finger. "You've got a little something there," she mocked, flicking the oatmeal with her finger.

Further down the Toxic Rat's table, Xena and Viktoriya sat next to each other. Xena smiled happily, looking up at her Russian team mate.

"So tell me more about yourself," Viktoriya said, her head propped up on her hands. "I don't think anyone got to know much of you, since you were the first one voted off last time. What's your home life like?"

The oracle bit her lip, and her face turned a deep red. "I... I don't know if I'm ready to talk about that yet," she admitted.

"Oh," Viktoriya responding, blinking. "I get it."

There was an awkward silence for a few moments. Xena tapped her spoon on her plate, biting her lip nervously.

Viktoriya rubbed her shoulder and looked away, uncertain of what to say. The overachiever saw Zane struggling to both carry his tray and move his wheelchair. Smirking, she sipped her coffee.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

"You know, I was pretty upset yesterday," Viktoriya stated, her arms crossed over her chest. "My Doc had just left, and I didn't know what to do with myself. Now, I have a whole new attitude. I'm not dealing with crap from _anybody_ , especially not Zane. He's crippled now, which makes him an even easier target. I won't let that jerk get far again, mark my words!"

* * *

Xavier stared at the oatmeal surprise in disgust. He poked at it with his knife, causing it to pop like a balloon. The gooey globs of Xavier's breakfast covered his face; the oatmeal felt strangely wet. He shuddered as they dripped off his face and back onto the plate.

"This seriously can't be breakfast," the conservative teenager complained. He whipped out a handkerchief, monogrammed with _XC_ in the corner. "This is _not_ what I am used to."

"Well you never did seem to be a fan of change," Jerome commented, pushing his breakfast away from him.

Xavier rolled his eyes. Then a small grin formed around his face. "You know what would actually be _great_ if we lose today?"

"You being voted off?" Jerome deadpanned.

"No," he replied, his grin widening, "you'd be the third voted off _again_."

Jerome scoffed. "You're an idiot. Even if that _wasn't_ a ridiculous prediction, you know I'd technically be the _fourth_ to go, right? Emma and Walter went home together, and then Jamie."

"Um, a double elimination means they tied, _idiot_ ," Xavier retorted.

"You're an idiot!" Jerome defended.

The Republican quickly stood up out of his seat. He held up his fists an a (very awkward) fighting posistion. "You wanna go, pal?"

Jerome stood up out of his seat as well. Though Xavier had at least four inches on him, Jerome was by far physically stronger. "Really?" he snorted.

He responded with a shove. Jerome responded the same way.

Meanwhile, Zane managed to wheel himself over to his table without spilling anything, much to Viktoriya's disappointment. He noticed this and grinned widely at her as he scooped up a spoonful of the oatmeal surprise. When he swallowed, his face turned red and he tried to breathe, but nothing came in. When he tried to cough, nothing came up. He banged on the table, pouring his hot coffee all over his lap. He tried to scream, but nothing came out.

Despite the pounding and noises, nobody noticed Zane. His face turned purple and his watery eyes turned red. He started slamming his stomach against the table, but to no avail. He clawed at his throat, desperate.

"Close-minded _bigot_!" Shove.

"Uneducated _loser_!" Shove.

"I have straight B's!" Shove.

"What do the B's stand for? … Big dumbie?" Shove.

Jerome shoved hard, sending Xavier toppling backwards. The conservative's elbow slammed into Zane's upper back, and both boys fell down to the floor with a thud.

The pea-sized glob of oatmeal dislodged out of Zane's throat and onto the floor.

"What was that?" Deylanie asked, looking over for the first time.

Zane gasped for air, his flesh turning back to normal. "Thanks, Xavier," the schemer said with a smile.

"For _what_?" Xavier asked, raising an eyebrow as he stood up. "All I did was knock into you."

 _He didn't even notice. None of them did,_ Zane thought angrily.

"Do you want some help getting up?" Jerome asked, walking towards him.

"No!" Zane replied bitterly. "I can do it _myself_!"

Holly walked in suddenly, covered with leaves and dirt. "What's for breakfast?" she asked.

The loudspeakers turned on, with Chris' voice filling the air. " _Attention_ , _players: please head directly to the looming tragedy that is Mount Looming Tragedy. Your race begins..."_ He turned on an air horn. _"Now!"_

"Is this the challenge?" Holly asked, raising an eyebrow.

Her response was eleven people racing past her (and one person in a wheelchair yelling, "Wait for me!" as he pushed himself as fast as possible).

* * *

Eventually, everyone made it to the top of the hill; many of the campers were sweaty and gasping for breath, but two in particular did not look winded in the slightest.

"Did we win?" Shaylie asked, hopeful.

Daniel scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "I think it's pretty obvious that _we_ won. My whole team got here first."

"Yeah, but _I_ was _here_ first!" she argued.

Chris interrupted their brief argument with a sharp whistle. The host stood beside Chef Hatchet. Both the host and his co-host leaned against a small, white open-roof Jeep; the latter looked significantly scratched and bruised, presumably from his battle with the mutated flies. "Okay, losers," Chris began, "on with the challenge! I hope you all enjoyed breakfast. _Zane_?"

"How did you even find out about that so fast?" the schemer snapped, glaring at the host.

"I have my ways," Chris replied, grinning."Anyway, part one is an uphill battle. You have to climb all the way up to _that_ cliff."

The aforementioned cliff was tall, perhaps five hundred feet. Barrels of toxic waste stood precariously along the edges of it; metal pipes jutted out of the rocks, which protruded along the sides of the mountain; and several rolls of barbed wire were wrapped around parts of the it. At the top, a single waste barrel leaned against a dying, leafless tree.

"First team to reach the top," continued Chris, "gets an advantage in part two. You can climb with your hands or whatever you find in the pile."

He pointed to a large pile of junk — a large white fridge, tattered couches, chairs, a large white tub, amongst other, unidentifiable things.

"Don't worry, this junkyard _doesn't_ have a dog," Chris said, trying to feign reassurance, though his ingenuity was overt. "... It has a _giant mutant beetle_!"

At least the size of a horse, the mutated insect popped out of the junk pile. Its red eyes glowed and its fangs dripped with blood. Everyone gasped, either in terror or disbelief; indeed, the monster was both a terror and real.

Chris laughed. "The guy is a _bit_ of a hoarder. His estate is full of _useful_ crud and _disgusting_ crud."

The beetle picked through its assortment of junk, tossing away piece by piece until it found what it was looking for. It grabbed a toilet and threw it at the contestants, hissing.

"… that is _if_ you can get near it," the host finished, smirking devilishly. He looked upwards, giving a thumbs up.

Chef Hatchet stood at the top of a cliff, holding a large, ancient horn. He blew it, sending a vibration throughout the island.

"It is _on_!" Chris cheered, pumping his fist as the contestants raced past him.

As the cry of the horn echoed off the mountains of the Wawanakwa, the contestants darted forward. While some rushed toward the foot of the colossal mountain, others carefully circled the junk pile, their eyes meticulously watching the gargantuan beetle's every movement.

"Have fun with the overgrown roach," Shaylie sneered as she bypassed the garbage heap. She pressed her foot hard against the compacted dirt and kicked off of the ground, rocketing herself upward onto the mountain face. She slid down a ways, the cracks and crevices unfamiliar to her, but she quickly found a nook in which to place her foot. Pushing forward, she began her climb.

Daniel watched as Shaylie steadily ascended and turned to face Georgie, Deylanie, and Aidan. He jerked his head toward Shaylie's general direction. "Shaylie's got the right idea," he told them, and he likewise sped off toward the mountain. Deylanie and the others followed close behind him.

Meanwhile, Aria continued to circle the junk pile alongside the Toxic Rats, the mutated beetle locked firmly in her sights. Its pincers clicked threateningly as she took a step forward, and Aria quickly retracted her foot. She narrowed her eyes at the beast before her, and it narrowed its eyes right back.

With a fierce yell, Aria began her charge on the junk pile. The beetle met her screams with violent hisses, and quickly scurried from its post atop the heap. It slithered along the ground, making its way toward Aria, who remained undaunted and pursued it just the same. When she was in close enough range, the beetle swiped one of its barbed limbs at Aria's ankles, intent on knocking her to the ground. Aria saw this move coming, though, and quickly evaded the assault with an aerial somersault.

Halfway through her spin, she planted a hand firmly against the beetle's armored backside and propelled herself further. She touched down beside a weathered refrigerator, which made up the base of the garbage mound.

"You'll have to try harder than that, _la_ _cucaracha_ ," she said with a smirk.

The beetle let loose a guttural screech and scampered forward on its six, spiny legs towards Zane.

He screamed at the top of his lungs and pushed his wheelchair as fast as he could. The beetle grabbed the back of Zane's chair, causing the schemer to fall out onto the ground. Zane, unable to move, braced himself...

But the beetle's viscous attack never came.

Zane opened one eye, expecting something to have happened by now. He opened the other eye, and saw that the beetle was deflecting small rocks thrown by Xavier.

"You saved my life _again_!" Zane beamed, crawling back to his wheelchair.

"What?" the conservative asked, confused. " _No_ , he took my cell phone, the dumb beetle!" He threw another rock, and the creature roared loudly, its eyes glowing.

"You've got to be kidding me," Zane mumbled.

The beetle charged towards Xavier, and the frightened teenager's eyes widened. He swallowed nervously and held up his hands defensively as the beetle punched the palm of its hand, angry.

"Um," he stammered, "can't we just discuss this like men?"

In response, the beetle threw a trash can at Xavier's face. The conservative cried out in pain as he fell to the ground.

Nearby, Viktoriya and Xena observed the entire ordeal, and the former couldn't help but smirk. "Well, it's not like they both don't _deserve_ it," she said, laughing.

"You shouldn't let your anger bottle up like this," Xena whispered, "it's not good for you."

Meanwhile, Shaylie reached up and grabbed a ledge. She pulled herself up rather easily. When she saw Aidan struggling to climb, she smirked.

"It looks like your team is having a hard time," she called to Lucian, who was a few feet to her right, climbing.

He scoffed, reaching for another rock. "And where's _your_ team?" he replied, annoyed. "It doesn't look like anyone's making any progress down there."

"Jerome's climbing _just fine_ ," she snarled, motioning to the struggling break dancer.

"And the other four?"

Shaylie shot daggers at Lucian. "Why don't you worry about your _own_ team instead of mine?" With that, she continued climbing.

"You're the one who instigated this!" Lucian pointed out as he resumed climbing as well.

Below, Aidan was having trouble grabbing on to a pipe that jutted out of the side of the cliff. He panted heavily as he tried to lift himself up to the ledge above. "Why didn't I stay down there and build?" he muttered. "I don't have any upper body strength."

"It's not like there was a possible way to _do_ anything to get us all up there," Holly added from above.

"How do ya figure?"

The gamer girl carefully dropped down on to the ledge right above Aidan. She extended her hand to him. "This mountain has got to be at least sixty feet high," she guessed. "And I don't think there's enough stuff in there to build something to _climb_ on."

Aidan's eyes widened. "Did you say sixty feet?" he swallowed.

"Could be more," she said, shrugging.

He looked down for a moment before his eyes quickly darted back up, wide-eyed. "Okay, I should not have looked down. _Why_ did I climb this thing? I _hate_ heights!"

"Take my hand," she instructed.

He bit his lip nervously, reaching his hand up. Holly grabbed it and pulled with all her might. Despite her small frame, she managed to pull him up.

"Thanks," Aidan replied as he dusted himself off. "I owe ya one."

Daniel grabbed a branch as he made his way up the side of the cliff. He looked down at his team mates and smiled. "You can do it, Aidan! Just remember to never look down!"

"GAH! I DID IT AGAIN!"

The fighter sighed and resumed climbing.

Back down at the base of the cliff, Aria had a small mirror in her hand as she started to climb herself. She tucked it into her shirt and began.

Zane managed to get back in his wheelchair; while the beetle was preoccupied with terrorizing Xavier, the schemer rummaged through the pile of trash, looking for something useful. He found nothing useful — broken television sets, bottles and cans, a toaster oven — and threw his hands up in the air angrily.

"What the heck are we supposed to _do_ with all of this stuff?" he complained. "Build a _tower_?"

Viktoriya scoffed. "Well, we _would_ be climbing, but you _can't_ , so we had to stay down here with you."

"And I sense less danger down here than on the cliff side," Xena added in.

"You're saying a giant mutant beetle is _less_ dangerous than what would happen to us if we climbed the mountain?" Zane asked in disbelief.

Xena nodded. "I've seen what will happen to some of our friends on that mountain, and I didn't want that to happen to Viktoriya or myself."

While those three had their conversation, Xavier ran away from the beetle as fast as he could, circling around the junk pile.

Nearby, Chris laughed hysterically as he watched it happen. He pulled out a walkie talkie and said, "You know what to do... _ice them_."

Chef Hatchet replied darkly, "With _pleasure."_ He walked to the edge of the cliff, holding a large block of ice, cackled sadistically and dropped it.

The ice block landed right in front of Aria, exploding on impact. Unfazed, she took the small mirror out of her cleavage and looked upward. The sunlight was shinning down a few feet in front of Chef. Aria pointed the mirror upwards, and adjusted it until the sunbeam reflected off the glass.

Suddenly, Chef found himself unable to see. His hands instinctively went to his eyes, causing him to drop the ice block. It fell several yards away from Aria, and the Hispanic girl grinned widely as she continued to climb.

Instead the ice block struck Aidan square in the head. He cried out in pain, and suddenly he felt himself losing his balance. He quickly grabbed onto the branch nearby, but the force with which he grabbed it combined with his weight caused the branch to snap, and Aidan found himself plummeting to the ground...

"Deylanie!" he screamed, for his girlfriend was several feet from him. She seemingly did not hear him, and continued climbing without so much as flinching.

Daniel saw the ordeal, but he was too far away to do anything. His eyes widened with fear and he tightened his grip on the ledge he was grabbing.

It lasted only two seconds, but it felt like hours to Aidan. He screamed and cavorted his hands, desperate to grab on to something that would save him from painting the ground red...

But that never happened. A pair of wiry hands grabbed his sweatshirt hoodie, and Aidan found himself safe on a small ledge on the side of the cliff. He gasped in shock and breathed heavily, not entirely aware of what had just happened. When his wits finally returned to him, he found himself looking up at his savior.

"You okay, bud?" Georgie asked frantically, reaching a hand out.

"Y-you saved me!" Aidan managed to say.

"What happened?"

"I don't know!"

Daniel clenched his jaw and looked at Aria with daggers. "I do," he said not at all quietly. "You know? You're really not a _monster_... just a _psychopath_."

Not dignifying his venom with a response, the young woman continued to climb.

Chef Hatchet had recovered from Aria's intervention and was back to dropping blocks of ice on the contestants. He threw a block as hard as he could down to two rapidly approaching contestants.

"Ha!" Shaylie said as she jumped to a ledge on her left. "Missed me!" She ducked, dodging another.

"Keep still, girl!" Chef yelled, throwing another, then another at the other contestant.

Lucian dodged the ice block as well, though not as swiftly as Shaylie did. "Stop _doing_ that!"

Below, Holly was climbing to the best of her ability. Years of a sedentary lifestyle had left her with poor upper-body strength and stamina, so she wasn't going very fast relative to everyone else. Oddly enough, the very muscular Jerome was not all that far ahead of her.

"How are you not at the top?" Holly asked, pointing to Jerome's large biceps.

The breakdancer shrugged. "I'm not exactly the best climber," he admitted. "I have a lot of upper-body strength and balance, since I dance, but that's always on flat surfaces." As if on cue, he nearly lost his footing. "See? And besides, my feet are too big for a lot of these crevices and whatnot."

Holly nodded. "Yeah, I wish I had that excuse... I'm just very physically inept."

"And you make up for it with intellect?" he asked.

The gamer girl shrugged. "I mean, I'm not a _genius_ , but I guess I'm kind of smart."

"You should really have a lot more confidence," Jerome told her as he continued climbing.

Holly bit her lip nervously. "Mine has always been kind of low. And having my 'best friend' expose my allergy on national television and vote me off? That didn't exactly help."

"Understandable."

"... And... for what it's worth, I am _so_ sorry for voting you off," she said.

"Again, understandable," Jerome assured her. "You were being manipulated by a sociopath actress."

"It sucks we're on different teams this time, though," Holly mused, "and especially considering all of the people on your team."

Jerome smirked. "You guys have _Aria_ , though. I don't think I'd want _her_."

"You'd have Xavier over her?"

"It's a tough choice," he lamented, "between someone who could be the death of me... and someone who will _be the death of me_."

The gamer girl snickered, and the two former team mates continued climbing.

Shaylie had finally made her way to the top of the cliff, but Chef was waiting for her. He cackled as he held the ice block over his head, preparing to bring it down with deadly force. Shaylie was quick enough, and punched Chef in the groin before she climbed to the top. Chef moaned in pain and dropped the ice block off the side of the cliff before falling over.

"OW! MY _FACE_!"

The hostile athlete cackled as she watched Lucian's suffering below. "Having fun?" she asked, smirking.

"No!"

She picked up an ice block and threw it at him. He yelped out in pain. "How about now?"

At the base of the mountain, the beetle had finally ceased its attack on Xavier; the conservative teenager moaned in agony as he sulked over to his team mates.

"Is it too late to start climbing?" he whined.

Back at the top of the cliff, Daniel was the second to arrive. He grinned triumphantly, ignoring Shaylie's raspberry.

Lucian and Aria were the next to arrive, followed shortly by Jerome and Holly, who were still chatting away.

"It seems as though your team is lacking in being present," Daniel snarked.

"They're smart people," Shaylie retorted, "I'm sure they're down there building a flying couch right now!"

"Mmhm."

Deylanie reached the top and high-fived Lucian. "We've got this one in the bag!" she declared.

Though she would never admit it, Shaylie was nervous. She looked at the edge of the cliff with anticipation, hoping that one of Chef's ice blocks would knock Aidan and Georgie down to the bottom. Unfortunately for her, they reached the top of the cliff just seconds later.

Suddenly, Chris arrived at the scene via jetpack. "And the Mutant Maggots win the first challenge!"

The Mutant Maggots cheered loudly.

"Stupid team, not being competent at mountain climbing," Shaylie muttered under her breath.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Zane sighed. "So we lost the advantage challenge again... _great_ ," he muttered, his arms crossed over his chest. "Without Jamie, I don't think I'll have a single person on my side. I need a miracle!"

* * *

On another part of the island, the contestants were freezing. Snow covered the ground, and none of the contestants were dressed for the sudden change in weather. Xena was especially cold, due to the small amount of clothing on her body. And with only her blood to keep her warm, Shaylie did her best to not show submission to the cold.

A red snowmobile driven by Chef, wearing a blue winter coat and a gray hat, rapidly approached the group.

Chris, who sat in the passenger seat, was also dressed warmly, in a white coat. He hopped off the snowmobile and walked over to the cold teens, laughing. "How do you guys like the weather?"

"H-how is this even _possible_?" Viktoriya asked, her teeth chattering. "I-it's not winter!"

"Told you global warming wasn't real," Xavier snarked. "It's summer and it's _snowing_! That's not warm!"

Ignoring Xavier's ignorance, the host shrugged. "How should I know? It was one of the eggheads who use physics and stuff to make sure the challenges are actually possible."

"And they figured out how to control the weather?" Viktoriya wondered.

Chris shrugged again. "Like I said," he replied, "heck if I know. Anyway, time for part two of today's challenge: Capture the Snow Fort. To win, you either have to demo the enemy's fort or capture the flag and bring it back to your own fort. The Maggots won the first part, so they get first dibs on the forts."

"E-e-easy!" Daniel said, shivering. "C-c-c-castle."

"I s-s-second that," Aidan added in, nodding.

The Maggots walked into their gigantic ice castle. Four glittering walls of snow bricks surrounded them, and a large pile of snowballs was stacked on the center of the floor. They cheered at their advantage.

"Alright!" Daniel cheered, high-fiving Aidan.

"We've got this in the bag!" the extroverted teenager added, pumping his fist.

Likewise, the Toxic Rats entered their own fort. Their "castle" was a four mushy pillars of snow. They groaned in disappointment upon seeing their own fort (if it could even be called that).

"We can't lose two in a row!" Xavier complained.

Shaylie put her hands on her hips. "We're not going to lose!" she insisted. "They may have a superior castle, but as they say: the bigger they are, the harder they fall! And besides, we have more athletic team mates than they do."

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Shaylie sat with her arms crossed. "But if we _do_ lose," she scoffed, "I know _exactly_ who I'd vote for."

* * *

Chef Hatchet tossed a log into the large fire before sitting down in a lawn chair. Chris McLean sat beside him, underneath an umbrella. He pulled out a megaphone.

"Listen up, players," he instructed, "here's how it works. Use the shovel in each fort to fire your collection of mystery snowballs, which you can fire at each other's forts. They will inflict some _major damage_ thanks to some fun little secret weapons inside each ball! But _some_ will damage _you_ , so choose wisely. Each team has to elect a captain to command and conquer... starting now!"

* * *

"Okay," Daniel said, "I think I would make an _excellent_ team captain. Any objections?"

There were no objections or counter proposals, so Daniel grinned and said, "Let's do this! We're going to crush them!"

"What should we do, Captain?" Aidan asked, adding the kenning as a term of endearment.

Daniel tapped his chin. After a moment, he came to a conclusion. "We'll need to have some people stay here and defend the fort. The others will go out and do their best to take down the other team's fort."

"How do we decide who goes where?" Deylanie asked.

"We have the better fort," Daniel pointed out, "so we won't have to worry about protecting it as much as they will. That's why I'm thinking we have two people stay here on defense, and we'll send the other five out to take them down."

"Five and _two_?" Aria scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. "Don't you think we should make it a little more even? What about when they send three or more people over here? No matter who we have stay here, two people will not be able to defend the flag from _three_."

"You didn't object to me being the captain," Daniel spat, "and it's not like we value your input anyway."

"Whoa..." Aidan said, surprised at his friend's hostility.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Don't even give me that," he snarled, "you know what she's done."

"Yeah, but—"

Georgie quickly intervened to avoid any possible fights that might occur. "Listen! Um, why don't we have Deylanie and Aidan stay here and defend the fort? Holly, Lucian, Daniel, Aria, and I will go and get their flag."

Satisfied that his girlfriend sided with him, Daniel smirked. "Thank you," he said, and then he turned to Aria. "I'm glad someone on our team realizes my good ideas."

The five offensive players walked out of the fort, leaving Aidan and Deylanie. The extroverted teenager smiled and walked over to his girlfriend.

"So, how has your day been going?" he asked her. "Aside from these insane challenges?"

"Huh?" she replied, seemingly not paying attention. "Oh, uh, yeah. Me too."

Confused, Aidan raised an eyebrow.

* * *

"As team captain, I say we—" Viktoriya, Shaylie, and Xavier all began at the same time. The three of them stopped when they realized that two other people where speaking as well. They glared at each other.

"Let's do this democratically," suggested Xavier, "even though _Viktoriya_ might have some objections to that."

Viktoriya was offended. "Why do you always assume I am communist?"

"I would like Viktoriya to be our leader for this challenge," Xena squeaked.

Jerome smirked. "As long as it's not _Xavier_ , I'm fine," the breakdancer said, "so I guess Viktoriya would be good."

The Russian girl was very satisfied with the results, and smugly looked at Shaylie and Xavier. "It seems the people have spoken," she said, looking at Xavier in particular when she said that.

"Yeah, 'the people' also voted in Obama twice," Xavier grumbled, "big deal."

Ignoring his ignorance, Viktoriya spoke to her team. "Listen, our fort is not as good as theirs. So we're going to need to put good amount of people here, defending it. They're probably going to send in a lot of their own players, since they're probably thinking the opposite logic as we are."

Zane raised his hand. "I'll be one of the people to stay here," he offered. "I'd be no use out in the 'battlefield'."

"I'll stay here as well," Xena said.

Jerome shrugged. "I guess I'll go out there," he said.

"I'll join him," Shaylie quickly said. "I might not be our leader, but I sure as heck am not gonna allow us to _lose_. We'll _need_ my physical strength to get their flag."

Viktoriya tapped her chin. "That's fine, I guess. I'll stay here with Xavier, Zane, and Xena. Shaylie and Jerome, good luck!"

"And _GO_!" Chris declared loudly.

Both the hostile athlete and the break dancer dashed out of their fort, ready for battle.

The clouds started to move, allowing the sun to come out. "Hurry up," the host warned, sipping a drink, "my ice is melting, and your forts will too if the sun gets much higher."

Shaylie was faster of Jerome, though she paced herself as not to let her team mate fall behind. Her eyes widened when she saw the large group approaching them.

The Mutant Maggots' offensive squad seemed relieved at who was running towards them.

"Looks like you were right, Daniel," Georgie commented, "they only sent two players."

"Was there any doubt?" he cockily replied, making sure that Aria was watching as he boasted.

Aria was watching, and she did so with contempt.

As the opposing team came closer and closer, Shaylie almost began to panic. She and Jerome were outnumbered. _Crap, is their numbers advantage seriously going to overcome my superior athletic ability?_ She looked to the ground as she ran, and grinned when she saw a large patch of soft snow. _No, it won't._ With a swift, singular motion, Shaylie sprayed the loose snow all over the Mutant Maggots' faces.

With her opponents incapacitated, Shaylie grabbed Jerome by the arm and pulled him along as she continued running towards the other team's castle...

... Until they fell into a large hole in the ice that they didn't see.

* * *

Xavier poked at one of the snowballs, curious. It let out a loud _hiss_ before falling off the pile of snowballs and falling apart. The conservative blinked in astonishment. Before Xavier could pick up another one, Viktoriya grabbed it and glared at him.

"Don't destroy our ammo," she groaned.

"Look!" Zane shouted suddenly, pointed to the horizon.

The Mutant Maggots had recovered from Shaylie's attack and were rapidly approaching the Toxic Rat's castle. Xavier turned his head and his eyes widened when he saw the other team. He scooped up as many snowballs as he could hold, and started throwing them at them.

He had horrible aim.

Xena was not much better. Though her aim was more accurate, she was about fifty feet away from them. The clairvoyant sighed, defeated. Unbeknownst to her, a small cockroach broke out of one of the snowballs and was scampering towards the other team.

Though mutant, the cockroach was regular sized and it squished under Georgie's heavy boots.

Finally, the Mutant Maggots reached the Toxic Rat's castle. Daniel smirked triumphantly and cracked his knuckles.

"Alright," he said, "just give me the flag an nobody gets hurt."

Xavier walked over to Daniel and poked his chest. "Over _my_ dead body!" he shouted. He whispered, "We're still cool, but a challenge is a challenge."

Daniel's response was a nod, followed by a shove. Xavier fell to the ground with a whine.

"Don't even think about it!" Viktoriya barked at Aria, who had used this opportunity to try and snag the flag.

The Hispanic girl tried to grab the flag, but Viktoriya was faster. She grabbed Aria by the hair and slammed her to the ground. When Aria landed on the ground, she grabbed Viktoriya by the foot and twisted it. The overachiever yelped, falling to the ground. The two girls wrestled for the flag.

As Lucian approached him, Zane held up his hands defensively. "You wouldn't hurt a guy in a wheel chair!" he squeaked nervously.

The DJ considered this. "Good point," he said. He walked out of Zane's reach and shrugged. "That was easy."

Holly and Xena stared at each other, uncertain of what to do. Xena held up her hands as if she was trying to block Holly. The nerdy girl awkwardly tried to dodge Xena's blocks, before she grabbed a snowball from the Rat's pile and threw it at Xena. Her clairvoyance allowed her to sense it, and she ducked...

... And the snowball struck Georgie right in the back of the head right as she was about to take the flag.

"Rats," Holly muttered, snapping her fingers.

"We're the Maggots!" Daniel 'corrected', as he dodged a blow from Xavier.

* * *

Shaylie and Jerome had freed themselves from the icy waters and continued running to the other team's castle, no matter how difficult it proved to be. As they ran, they dodged a number of snowballs. One of them actually managed to hit Jerome, but thankfully it was just a regular snowball with no "surprise".

"So it's just Party Girl and _Aidan_?" Shaylie scoffed, smirking. "I think we can take them."

"Let's hope so," Jerome said.

Another snowball zoomed towards Shaylie's head, but she managed to duck in time. A second one came and it struck her in the face. Furious, she scooped up a block of ice and kicked it towards the castle. It soared in the air and went through a window. A loud cracking sound was followed by a cry of pain, gasp, and a thud. Shaylie smirked, but Jerome seemed horrified.

"That sounded like it really hurt," he pouted.

"So?"

" _So_ ," he replied, frowning, "I want to win, but I don't want to hurt these guys."

The hostile athlete rolled her eyes. "That's the attitude that got you voted off third."

"And that's the attitude that got _you_ voted out _fourth_ ," he replied coldly.

"Touche."

* * *

"Deylanie!" Aidan cried as he watched his girlfriend fall to the ground.

He looked out the window and saw Jerome and Shaylie quickly approaching. Aidan looked at them, then back at his seemingly unconscious girlfriend. He kept on looking between them, uncertain of what to do.

* * *

With no one to fight him, Lucian approached the flag. Before he could grab it, something grabbed his leg and he fell to the ground. This 'something' was Viktoriya, who was still trying to fight off Aria. Though the overachiever was strong, she could not take on two people at once. Aria scratched at Viktoriya's face as the Russian continued to pull at her hair.

Lucian cried out as he felt another sharp pain in his leg. He turned to see Zane grabbing at his leg. The schemer was lying on his belly and pulling with all his might.

"What are you _doing_?" Lucian snapped as he clutched his leg.

"You're not getting that flag!" Zane angrily replied as he twisted Lucian's ankle.

Daniel shoved Xavier against the wall and restrained his arms. Xavier responded with a headbutt, and the wrestler fell to the ground in pain. Xavier tried to jump on top of him, but Daniel rolled out of the way in time and Xavier landed hard on the ice. Daniel quickly stood up and grabbed Lucian by the neck and lifted him up.

Georgie had finally regained consciousness and was stumbling to get to the flagpole...

But another ice ball smacked her in the head. Holly, despite her gaming skills, had really bad aim in real life. The gamer girl cursed under her breath as Xena tried to grab her by the arms.

"You will find happiness this time," Xena told her.

"Huh?"

"Happiness," she replied, smiling. "I can see it in your future, your near future. I cannot see _why_ you are happy, but you are."

"Um... thanks?"

* * *

Aidan had started throwing snowballs at Shaylie and Jerome, who were getting closer by the minute. One of the snowballs actually had a "surprise" in it, a small explosive. It was nothing deadly, but it set the duo back a couple of yards. He threw another one, but Shaylie had astonishingly caught it. She threw it back and it struck the side of the castle. A small piece crumbled off. Aidan swallowed nervously as he tossed another snowball.

"D-d-d-Duncan?"

The extrovert turned to his girlfriend, who had quickly returned to consciousness. He gasped and ran over to her. "Deylanie?" he responded as he grabbed her hand. "Deylanie, it's me, Aidan. Are you okay?"

"Duncan?" she asked, still groggy. "Duncan, baby is that you?"

"What?" Aidan asked, genuinely confused. "Deylanie, what are you talking about? It's Aidan!"

"D-d-d-" she muttered as she slowly faded back into unconsciousness.

Confused, Aidan scratched the back of his head. "Why did she keep saying his name?" he asked himself. For a few moments, he continued to wonder. Then he stopped wondering. His eyes widened, and then they filled with tears. "Oh..." he managed to say as tears flowed down his cheeks. Another snowball hit his face and he fell to the ground.

Shaylie and Jerome entered the fort and high-fived. When Jerome saw Aidan on the floor, sobbing and not getting up, he got an uneasy look on his face.

"Did we nail him in the kiwis or something?" he wondered, cringing.

"Doesn't matter," she replied as she grabbed the flag from its pole. "We've won!"

Jerome bit his lip nervously. "I think we should check on him first," he told her.

"You can check on him all you want," Shaylie replied harshly as she ran out of the castle. "I've got a challenge to win us!"

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Shaylie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Jerome's a nice guy for checking up on Aidan," she admitted. She paused for a brief moment, then continued. "That's exactly why he's going to get crushed into the dirt."

* * *

The hostile athlete ran as fast as she could back to her fort. She was extremely careful as to not slip on any ice or fall in any holes. "You can do this," she told herself, "just a few more yards..."

* * *

Daniel shoved Xavier to the ground and stomped over to the flag. He tore it from its pole and shoved it in his pocket. "Let's go!" he shouted to his team. "I've got the flag!"

"Oh no you _don't_!" Viktoriya barked as she grabbed at Daniel's pants.

"Keep away from there!" he snapped, slapping her hand away.

Xavier quickly ran back to his opponent and jumped on his back. Daniel screamed and threw punches at the conservative teenager. The duo tripped over Viktoriya and Aria, who were still wrestling on the ground. They knocked into the wall and tore a significant piece down.

"Of course..." Aria gasped. She turned to her team. "Everybody! Just kick down the walls!"

"We're not going to listen to _you_!" Daniel snapped, not even making an attempt to listen to what she had to say.

The former boricua rolled her eyes and swung at the wall. A small crack formed in the corner. Aria grinned and whacked at it again, forming a bigger crack. Viktoriya noticed what she was doing and grabbed Aria's hand.

Just then, Shaylie ran through the fort. "Yes!" she cheered.

"Rats _win_!" Chris declared as he approached the group. Chef Hatchet stood beside him with a tray of cups. "And here's your reward: McLean-Brand Hot Chocolate. Scald your senses with chocolatey goodness!"

The Toxic Rats cheered, sharing high-fives and fist bumps with each other regardless of their relationship.

"Great..." Daniel groaned. He looked over at Aria and grinned. " _Great_ ," he repeated ominously.

* * *

Daniel, Aidan, and Georgie sat outside of their cabin, on the steps. They were covered with large brown blankets. Georgie had her arm around Aidan, who was crying on her shoulder. Daniel sat on the step above them and had his hand on his friend's back.

"I can't believe she cheated on you, man," Daniel said to his friend.

"That just doesn't seem like her," Georgie admitted.

Aidan nodded. "Trust me, I know," he sighed. "But she kept on muttering Duncan's name and calling him 'baby'. _Duncan!_ That criminal bad boy from the first three seasons!"

His two friends stood up and discarded their blankets. "I'm going to go shower before the ceremony," Daniel announced, "dude, just let me know whenever you want to talk, okay?"

Georgie kissed Aidan on the cheek. "We're here for ya, okay bud?"

The extrovert sighed deeply. His eyes turned over to Deylanie, who stormed into the confessional.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Deylanie sighed. "Look," she said. "I know what you're all thinking: 'Deylanie, how could you cheat on poor Aidan like that?' Well, first off: he's boring. I need a guy who can... excite me, always keep me guessing. All Aidan ever wanted was to cuddle or watch movies. _Boring_." She grinned. "Duncan was exciting."

She shrugged. "I was planning on breaking up with him soon anyway. Heck, I'm not even sure _how_ he knew. But after I woke up, he asked me why I said Duncan's name... and I told him. No use in lying to the guy. But whatever, I doubt they'll hold this against me this time. Hello, we have a _serial killer_ on our team!"

* * *

"Okay," Chris said to the seven campers sitting on the tree stumps, "I'm actually pretty surprised to see you guys here. You won the advantage for goodness' sake!" He brandished a platter of six marshmallows. Behind him stood Chef Hatchet, who wore the hazmat suit and carried the toxic marshmallow.

The lack of nervousness and uncertainty among the contestants was noticeable. While normally they would be nervous that they might be going home, the majority of them seemed pretty satisfied - certain of who was to be eliminated.

Chris held up the first marshmallow. "The following players are safe... Daniel."

He grinned, shot daggers at Deylanie, and caught his tasty treat.

"Georgie."

Likewise, the cage fighter glared at the party girl before grabbing her marshmallow mid-air.

"Aidan."

Aidan sighed deeply, not bothering to catch the marshmallow. His sad eyes never left the ground.

"Lucian."

The mocha-skinned teenager smiled, catching the marshmallow.

"And... Holly."

She opened her mouth, and the sugary sweetness landed on her tongue. She swallowed it whole, then licked her fingers.

All eyes turned to the two contestants who had yet to receive a marshmallow. Both girls looked nervous, though Deylanie looked more angry than nervous. Aria looked straight-up nervous.

"... Which leaves Aria and Deylanie," Chris continued, grinning. "Aria, it seems that your team mates have very long memories. Could your past finally be catching up with you? And Deylanie, it seems that your cheating on Aidan has alienated you from your team. Could _your_ past be catching up with _you_?"

Neither of them responded.

"The Toxic Marshmallow of Loserdom goes to...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Deylanie."

Chef Hatchet dropped the green marshmallow at Deylanie's feet. The party girl was quick enough to lift up her feet. She watched the marshmallow sizzle as it melted into the ground. She looked like she was about to say something, but she was verbally accosted instead.

"You deserve this," Daniel hissed, his voice filled with venom.

"Ha!" Georgie laughed, pointing. "That's what you _get_ , you two-timing **/censored/**!"

Aria nodded in agreement, though she looked more happy at the fact that she was safe than that specifically Deylanie was eliminated. She silently chewed on her marshmallow.

The host laughed. "Good job, Georgie. Make the editors really work for their paychecks!"

Deylanie scoffed, her arms crossed over her chest. "Seriously? Yeah, I cheated on my boyfriend, but Aria _killed people_. And you guys kept her? I'm glad to see you guys have your priorities in check."

Aidan tried to say something, but was cut off.

"Don't even try and talk your way out of this," Georgie snapped. "You hurt our friend, you hurt all of us!"

Deylanie rolled her eyes.

"It's time for the Hurl of Shame, baby," Chris said, grinning.

As the Mutant Maggots made their way to the Dock of Shame, Aria felt someone grabbing on her arm. She turned around to see Daniel glaring at her.

"You got lucky today, Aria," he told her firmly, "but don't expect this to change anything. _You're next_."

He said nothing more and walked away, not waiting for her to respond.

* * *

Deylanie's legs dangled over the catapult. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her face looked quite annoyed. She looked over at her former team mates _—_ Daniel and Georgie looked at her with anger and disgust, Aria seemed to be quite relieved, and Lucian and Holly seemed to be at a loss for how to react. Aidan, however, wasn't even looking at her. His eyes never left the ground.

"Any final words?" Chris asked her. "I'm sure _Aidan_ would like to hear a thing or two. Haha!"

She nodded. "Look, I don't _—_ "

"Time's up!"

Chef Hatchet pulled a lever, sending Deylanie flying in the air. She screamed and screamed, her body flailing until she faded from everyone's view.

"Four down, twelve to go!" Chris bellowed, facing the camera. "Who will fly home next? Who will manipulate? Who will lose their cool? Find out next time on... Total... Drama... Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessionals)**

Daniel sighed angrily, punching the wall of the outhouse. "Screw this! Aria _needs_ to go home, but I can't allow what Deylanie did to go unpunished." He cracked his knuckles. "She _hurt_ my best friend. _Nobody_ hurts my best friend! Nobody! I vote for Deylanie."

...

"I can't believe this, but I have to vote for Deylanie," Georgie said, looking somewhat disappointed. "She seemed like such a nice person... but to hurt Aidan like that? I can't believe she would do something like that..."

...

Deylanie rolled her eyes. "Look, I know what you're all thinking: 'Deylanie, how could you cheat on poor Aidan like that?' Well, first off: he's boring. I need a guy who can... excite me, always keep me guessing. All Aidan ever wanted was to cuddle or watch movies. _Boring_." She grinned. "Duncan was exciting. Anyway, I vote for Aria. I wouldn't be surprised if she went home. The girl's a psycho."

...

Holly sat with her hands folded. "I feel really bad for Aidan," she said. "That was a really messed up thing for Deylanie to do... but I don't know if I should vote her off. It'd probably be best for them to work out the problems they are having as soon as possible. I guess I vote for Aria. She scares me."

...

Aria smiled widely. "I suppose I should be glad for Deylanie's disloyalty," she mused, "it will probably prevent me from going home." She bit her lip, realizing what she said. "That sounds bad... I'm not _glad_ that she hurt Aidan, I'm just..." She sighed. "I vote for Deylanie."

...

Lucian shook his head. "Man, I hate cheaters. I know how I'd feel if Courtney cheated on me... I don't think I could handle it. Poor Aidan..." he said. "I vote for Deylanie. I know she was my friend last season, but... gosh..."

...

Aidan sighed deeply. "I.. I know I should vote for her... but... I just can't bring myself to do it," he said sadly. "I... I vote for Aria. I'm upset with Deylanie, but I'm not _afraid_ of her."

* * *

 **Elimination** **Order** : Emma & Walter, Jamie, Deylanie.

 **Remaining Contestants** :

Toxic Rats: Shaylie, Jerome, Viktoriya, Xavier, Zane, Xena

Mutant Maggots: Daniel, Georgie, Lucian, Aria, Aidan, Holly

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Many of you correctly predicted that Deylanie was the cheater. I'm not sure if that's good in the sense that I foreshadowed it and it wasn't out of the blue, or if that's bad in the sense that it was obvious enough that so many people predicted it.

I had Deylanie and Aidan set to break up the second I decided to do another season with this cast. Honestly, they would not be a good long-term match. Aidan is calmer and wants romanticism, while Deylanie is wilder and wants nothing but to party. Opposites do attract, but sometimes they aren't meant to be together.

Though she is gone, Deylanie (and the end of Aideylanie) will have a lasting impact on this game.

I can't say with certainty when the next update will be, but I will do my best to get it out to you all as soon as I possibly can!

Until next time, thanks for reading the chapter!


	4. Finders Creepers

_Total Drama: Revenge of the Island_

 **Disclaimer** : The rights of _Total Drama_ belong to its distributors; Teletoon, Cartoon Network, Fresh TV, and Cake Entertainment. The original twenty-two characters, along with Chris and Chef, belong to the aforementioned companies. Fourteen of the main characters in this story belong to their respective creators, and two belong to me.

This story is rated T for mild violence, moderate language, and mild to moderate sexual themes. You have been warned.

 **Author's Note:** I apologize once again for the long wait, but I have been _so_ busy these past few weeks. I have started applying to colleges, have starred in my school's fall drama, and I have school in general to worry about. I love writing fan fiction, but school is the main priority.

This is a _very_ heavy chapter, in the sense that one of the major events that sets off a series of events begins here. This is when things start to get gritty and serious, even though the setting is quite ludicrous and the jokes are still very Total Drama-esque.

A lot of you may be upset with me by the time this chapter ends. You may not. Let's find out!

Now, sit back and enjoy this just as much as I enjoyed writing it!

...

...

...

* * *

 _Finders Creepers_

* * *

 _(Narrated by Chris McLean.)_

Last time on Total Drama: Revenge of the Island...

Thirteen dumb dudes and dudettes duked it out in a deleterious debacle of danger!

Why all the "D" words?"

 _D_ eylanie showed that perhaps she isn't exactly the best kind of girlfriend to have after she unknowingly confessed to cheating on Aidan with... that's right: _D_ uncan! And _D_ eylanie was _done_!

Meanwhile, Viktoriya and Xena have been getting closer. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship?

Aria and Daniel are getting at each other's throats. Could this be the beginning of a beautiful _conflict_?

Twelve contestants get closer to one million dollars! Could this be the beginning of an awesome compet-ish? I'd say so! Hahaha!

And now, tonight's challenge is about _fear_ , and everyone knows that fear is a dish best served in the _dark_! Muhahahahaha!

[Chef Hatchet appeared next to Chris in a peacock-theme bikini. Chris frowned, disappointed. "Huh? _Chef_!"]

[The large cook shrugged. "Wardrobe was all out of vampire costumes," he explained before walking off.]

It's all scary! ... Other than that. Right here, right now on Total... Drama... Revenge of the Island!

* * *

 **Theme Song Is Played.**

* * *

The night sky was dark and the air was cold and damp. It was calm and peaceful at Camp Wawanakwa, where twelve teenagers were asleep in their respective cabins.

In the Maggot's cabin, Daniel was fast asleep in his bunk, snoring loudly with his arms wrapped around the headboard. Below him, Aidan was spread out like a starfish, with his blankets a disheveled mess. Though the cool night air covered his body in goose bumps, he did not seem the least bit affected by it. Lucian slept with his headphones on, his music playing silently, though he was asleep all the same.

On the girl's side, Aria's head was covered by her pillow, and she was curled up in a fetal posistion. Her knife was tucked away between the side of her bed and the wall, though it was somewhat visible. Above, Holly had seemingly passed out while playing her video game, as the device's screen was still lit up. Across the room, Georgie was hugging the pillow and her blankets covered her whole body.

The Toxic Rats were fast asleep as well. Shaylie slept with her soccer ball tucked between her arms, and she appeared to be sleep kicking. This did not wake up her team mates, however. Viktoriya was snoring quite loudly, with her right arm hanging over the side of the bed. Xena was sitting up straight, with her back pressed up against the wall. This, along with the book next to her, suggested she had fallen asleep reading.

On the boy's side, Xavier was in an awkward posistion, with his rear pointed upwards and his arms folded. Drool dripped down out of the corner of his mouth and onto the floor. Zane slept carefully, with layers of pillows covering his crippled legs as to avoid further injury. Perhaps the only person sleeping normally was Jerome, who was smiling sweetly.

About five hours had passed since the last challenge's elimination, so nobody was fully rested just yet. Nevertheless, three excruciating challenges in a row had left them exhausted, and they were relieved to finally be getting some rest...

Chef Hatchet grinned widely as he approached the cabins. He reached into a pocket in his apron, and pulled out an air horn. The cook wore a large pair of noise cancelling head phones, as did Chris, who stood next to him. Chef turned to Chris, who gave him a thumbs up in response. He pressed the button on the air horn, and the quiet that once surrounded the island was now dead.

"RUN!" Chris screamed at the top of his lungs. "RUN FOR YOUR _LIVES_!"

Startled and afraid, the contestants spilled out of their cabins, still dressed in their pajamas.

"What's going on?!" Aidan cried, nearly tripping over the stairs.

Daniel jumped over the railing. "Is this a drill?" he asked, looking around suspiciously.

"Move out of my way!" Shaylie barked as she shoved past Zane. The wheelchair-bound teen nearly flew out of his chair, but kept his grip. But that didn't stop him from stumbling down the porch.

"The _socialists_ are coming!" Xavier declared loudly as he pushed through the crowd.

All of the contestants had exited the cabins and grouped in their respective teams. Their fears and concerns faded when they saw Chris and Chef Hatchet looking smug and sadistic as ever.

Chris tapped Chef on the shoulder, and the air horn ceased. Both men took off their noise cancelling headphones. "Thanks, Chef!" the host said loudly.

"My _pleasure_ ," Hatchet replied with a toothy grin.

A dark-haired intern wheeled out a large television, and then walked away without saying a word. The television displayed a bird's eye view of Wawanakwa Island, as well as several icons - six green skulls, one large purple spider, and three orange question marks.

"Challenge time!" Chris declared, smiling.

Before the host could say anything else, Lucian spoke up. "Wait, we're going to do it _now_? But it's so early in the morning!"

Shaylie snickered. "Aww," she mocked, "does the baby need his beauty sleep?"

The mocha-skinned teenager rolled his eyes. "No, but _you_ do," he retorted. "You've got some pretty nice _bags_ under your eyes!"

"Shut up!"

Daniel snickered. "Watching them argue is some of the best entertainment on this island," he whispered to his girlfriend.

"I can't wait for them to give up and make out already," she remarked. Aidan and Daniel gave her a strange look, and she tried to look as innocent as possible. "What?" she defended, holding her hands up. "The sexual tension is all over them!"

Daniel rolled his eyes. " _Please_. They have about as much chemistry as Aria and me."

The trio looked over to Lucian and Shaylie, who were still arguing.

"Yeah? Well your _face_ is ludicrous!" the DJ sneered.

"So is the thought of you getting a record deal," the blonde athlete shot back.

Lucian gasped in shock. "You take that back, Andrews!"

"Make me, Rodgers!"

Chris coughed loudly. "As much as I _love_ drama and conflict," he said, "this is _my_ camera time!" He turned to face the rest of the contestants. "Your challenge: a scavenger hunt for three creepy souvenirs. Their locations? A haunted forest, a scary pet cemetery, and an _extra_ spook-tastic cave.

"First team to each location gets a special clue. But watch out for booby traps. I _really_ went to town with them." He laughed sadistically. Several of the contestants exchanged nervous looks. "So move fast and stick _together_! You'll be penalized for each player you lose."

Holly raised her hand. "Um, why is there an icon of a spider on the screen?" she asked.

"Because there's a giant mutated spider running around loose on the island," Chris replied as if someone had asked him what the time was.

Horrified, everyone started shouting and protesting at once, but Chris just laughed. Xavier swallowed nervously.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Xavier tugged at his collar. "Look," he said to the camera, "I'm only afraid of two things: liberals taking over the country with their _liberal_ values, and _spiders_." He shuddered. "They're just so creepy!"

A spider dropped down near his head, and the conservative teenager screamed like a five-year-old girl.

* * *

Chris now held the air horn. "There's nothing to fear but mortal terror itself!" he proclaimed proudly. "Get dressed into your regular clothes, and then on with the challenge! Talk soon!" He sounded the air horn, and the contestants scrambled back into their cabins for a quick change.

"Want me to run over to the mess hall and get us some waffles?" Chef asked.

"Heck yes!" Chris beamed. "As long as _you_ don't cook it!"

Chef frowned, offended. He punched Chris in the arm, sending the host falling to the ground. Chef chuckled sadistically and made his way over to the mess hall.

"Put whipped cream on mine!" Chris requested, still lying on the ground.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Aidan sighed deeply. "Okay, you're all probably wondering exactly what went down with Deylanie and me," he began, "so here it is... After she regained consciousness, I asked her why she kept on saying Duncan's name. At that point, I was like ninety percent sure I knew what was happening, but I had to be sure." He sighed again. "At least she was honest about it. Well, needless to say, we're not together anymore... and now she's been voted off."

He looked straight at the camera. "But you know what? I'm going to prove her wrong. She thinks I'm boring and weak? I'll show her! I'll prove her wrong and I'm gonna win this show!"

* * *

The contestants were now dressed in their regular clothes. They ran through the woods in search of the challenge area with their respective teams. Due to the fact that the competition was a race (and because he was one if the nicest people on his team), Jerome offered to push Zane's wheelchair.

"How are you holding up, buddy?" Daniel asked Aidan.

Aidan shrugged. "I'm trying to stay strong, ya know?" he replied. "I'm gonna show her that I don't even need her!"

"You're darn right you don't!" Georgie agreed. "We're your friends, Daniel and I, and that's all you need!"

Holly was not the most athletic person in the world, so she was having a hard time keeping up with the rest of the group. Jerome seemed to notice this, and stopped for a half a second so he could run alongside her.

"Um, what do you think you're doing?" Zane objected, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm just going to talk to Holly," Jerome replied, shrugging.

Zane's eyes widened. "Um, why?" he stammered. _Does he know that we've been searching for the immunity idol? Is he gonna talk to her about it?_

The gamer girl smiled when she saw Jerome. When they were side-by-side, they continued running.

"How's it going?" she asked sweetly.

Jerome shrugged as he continued to push Zane. "I'd be fine it if weren't for Chris and his insane wake-up schedule. What's the deal with that anyway? Does he even _like_ getting up this early?"

"It's a small sacrifice for him to pay to see us suffer, I guess," Holly joked.

 _Good_ , Zane thought, _mindless chit-chat._

"So," Jerome began, "have you been looking for that immunity idol or whatever it's called?"

 _Crap._

Holly's eyes bugged out. "What?" she sputtered. "Oh, that thing? I wouldn't even know where to _look."_

The break dancer smirked. "Really? I thought you'd find it easily, what with your gamer knowledge. Aren't there a lot of secret hidden treasures in games?"

Holly nodded. "Yeah, but there aren't any floating yellow question mark boxes in the air," she joked.

"Wouldn't that be useful?" Jerome replied, laughing.

 _Thank God_ , Zane though, relieved. _I was right about the mindless chit-chat._

Also desegregated were Xavier and Aria, the latter of whom seemed to be slightly irritated.

"Okay, so are you going to tell me what's been bothering you lately?" Aria asked her boyfriend. "Did a pro-immigration bill get passed in the States or something?"

"Thankfully no," Xavier grumbled, "but that's not it."

Aria frowned. "Then what is it, Papi? You know I don't like to see you like this... actually I do. You're hilarious when you're angry. But right now you just seem to be cold and distant."

Xavier clenched his jaw. "We'll talk later, okay? I just want to focus on winning this challenge."

"Good luck then, Papi," she smirked, playfully punching his shoulder. "You'll need it."

He did not return the playful jab, leaving Aria confused and upset.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

"Screw 'later'," Aria grumbled, "I'm going to find out exactly what's bothering my Papi _now_!"

* * *

Daniel was the first to spot the loudspeaker wrapped around the large tree. He ran over to it as fast as he could. Shaylie noticed him, and began running towards it herself. The hostile athlete was faster, however, and she tagged the tree first. Despite it being unrelated to the challenge at hand, she beamed with pride over her "win".

The loudspeaker turned on, and Chris's voice filled the air. _"Welcome to the haunted forest! Your clue can be found at the base of this tree!"_

Daniel smirked and stepped in front of Shaylie. He reached down into the hole in front of the tree and reached for the clue. The fighter howled in pain.

 _"Inside a bear trap!"_ the host cackled.

"What does the clue say?" Daniel asked his team as he desperately tried to pry the bear trap off of his arm.

Before any Mutant Maggot could read the note, Shaylie snatched it out of Daniel's hands.

"We were here first, pal!" she snapped at him as she read the note. "'Inside a knot is a a nest. Your souviner lives with a pest. Find _Polaris_ to travel northwest.' _Polaris_? That's a snowmobile company!"

Xavier smacked his forehead. "Well, don't read it out _loud._ Now the other team just heard you!"

"They would have followed us anyway!" Shaylie argued, poking Xavier in the chest.

Uncomfortable with all of the hostility, Xena spoke up. "It's also the North Star," she told her team.

"Is that it?" Zane asked, pointing to the star bigger and brighter than all the others.

Xena nodded.

"Stop giving away our information!" Xavier shouted. "Do you _want_ us to lose?"

Jerome groaned. "Let's just go," he grumbled, "so Donald Frump here doesn't explode."

"I told you," Xavier said with a grin, "I take that as compliment. He's a great man!"

The break dancer rolled his eyes. "If you say so..." he scoffed.

Zane looked around and his eyes widened. "Hey, where did the other team go?" he asked.

The other Toxic Rats looked around and saw that indeed, the Mutant Maggots were nowhere to be found.

Xavier glared at Shaylie. "I told you!" he snarled. "We gave them away our clue, and no they're ahead of us! We're going to _lose_ because of you!"

"Quit your complaining," the blonde athlete retorted. "If anything, we're going to lose because your nonsense slowed us down!"

Viktroiya coughed loudly. "How about we get our butts in gear so that we _don't_ lose," she suggested, annoyed.

Everyone quickly followed her suggestion, and ran (or wheeled) as fast as they could in the northwest direction.

* * *

Far ahead of their rivals, the Mutant Maggots sprinted through the dark forest. Though it was hard to see, the path was wide enough that the Maggots were able to run without issue.

Daniel, at the front of the pack, stared straight ahead. "What do you guys think that means, 'inside a knot'?" he asked, his eyes not diverting.

"Maybe it's a rock formation shaped like a knot?" Georgie suggested. She turned around, "What do you think, Aidan?"

There was no response.

"Aidan?"

Georgie turned around and her eyes turned wide. Her loud gasp was enough to make Daniel and the others turn around.

"Where the heck did he go?" Lucian exclaimed.

"Maybe he had to pee," Daniel suggested. "The dude has a bladder the size of a _walnut_."

Holly swallowed nervously. "Could the spider have gotten him?" she trembled. "We get a penalty for each lost player."

"Then he's fine," Aria said, "because there's no way Chris would allow him to _actually_ get eaten, right? Without us, there's no show!"

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Chris did not say anything, as he was in a fit of hysterical laughter upon hearing Aria's suggestion. He sat up and wiped away a tear, but did not stop laughing.

* * *

"Of _course_ you would have no concern for our team mate," Daniel scoffed. "You're probably the one who pushed him into the spider's clutches!"

"Yup, that's exactly what I did," Aria deadpanned.

"Aha! So you admit it!"

Lucian rolled his eyes, annoyed by his team mates' arguing. He glanced over to his left and gasped. There was a gigantic tree with a hole in the middle several yards away. There were two streaks of red and green spray-painted across the trunk. Lucian ran towards it, leaving his team mates to bicker.

"This must have been what the note meant by 'knot'!" he exclaimed.

His team mates quickly ran over to join him, to see what he was talking about.

"'A knot'," Aria repeated. She smacked her forehead. 'Wow, I feel dumb. How could we not see that?"

Georgie cleared her throat. "Guys," she said, "before we go any further, I really think that we should go and look for Aidan!"

"Yeah," Holly agreed, nodding, "even _if_ he's not in any real danger, we still get a penalty for every player we lose."

"We can worry about that stuff later," Aria said, "we should just focus on completing the challenge right now!"

Daniel cracked his knuckles, approaching the tree. "I guess the nest is inside that hole?" he thought out loud. "I guess there's only one way to find out!"

The athletic teenager jumped and grabbed onto the tree. He shimmied his way upwards until he was level with the knot. He peered into the dark hole, searching for a nest. His eyes widened with terror when he saw another, larger and red eye staring back at him. He didn't even have time to react before a large tentacle wrapped around his body.

"What the heck?" Lucian sputtered. "Is that a giant octopus in the tree?"

"Somebody help me!" Daniel managed to say. The mutant had started to tighten its grip, and Daniel was struggling to breath.

Frantic, Holly grabbed a stick off of the ground and threw it at the mutant. She missed completely, and was barely able to dodge the second tentacle that shot towards her.

The tentacle suddenly grabbed Aria, and the oracle was hanging upside down with her face inches away from Daniel's.

" _I'm_ supposed to eat calamari," Daniel cried, "not the other way around!"

Aria scoffed as she struggled to free herself from the mutant's grip. "Whining won't do anything," she scoffed, "we have to think of a way to get out of this!"

"What do you _think_ I'm doing?"

Georgie bit her lip nervously. She quickly scanned the area around her, looking for something, _anything_ that could help her. Her eyes lit up when she saw a large stone jutting out of the ground. She ran over to it, and picked it up. With all of her might, she chucked it at the beast.

The stone struck the eye. The mutant octopus screeched in pain, and its eye shrunk back into the knot. The tentacles retracted as well, releasing its victims. The two of them landed on the ground with a thud.

Daniel immediately sprung back up and started to climb the tree again. When he reached the knot, he dug around inside until he grabbed something. He pulled his arm out, revealing a golden key.

"Sweet!" he cheered. Suddenly, a web shot out of the sky and lifted lifted him up. He screamed. Though the key fell to the ground, Daniel was nowhere to be found.

Lucian, who had witnessed the whole incident, gasped. "Did anyone else just see that?"

"It must have been the spider that captured Aidan!" Holly cried.

Aria rolled her eyes. "Everybody just stay calm, alright? This isn't a mutant spider that captured them, it was one of the interns!"

"I don't know," Holly sighed, "we _do_ get a penalty for every player we lose. And we're down two!"

The Toxic Rats arrived to where the Maggots were standing, with all of their team mates still together.

"Where'd Daniel and Aidan go?" Jerome asked, looking around.

"The spider got them!" Holly cried, waving her hands around frantically.

Xavier dove behind Zane's wheelchair. "Where? _Where_?" he screeched. He looked up at Shaylie, who was laughing. "Kill it!"

Shaylie rolled her eyes in disgust. "I swear to God, you're like a five year old girl," she scoffed.

"Not true," Viktoriya said, grinning, "a five year old girl would have _much_ more composure over a spider she can't even see."

"Where Aidan and Daniel are is none of your concern," Aria said sharply. "We're going to go and finish the rest of the challenge, if you don't mind!"

As the remaining Mutant Maggots took off, Zane called to them, "I do mind, actually! I'd very much like us to win!"

"Now where's that 'knot' at?" Jerome asked, scratching his forehead as he scanned the area. "And there's a nest inside... Hmm..."

Xavier scoffed. "Wow, the big man can remember a simple rhyme," he sneered, "I'm so impressed."

Jerome furrowed his brow, and carefully and lightly touched Xavier's neck. The conservative mistook the sensation for that of a spider creeping on him and he _flipped out_.

"GAAAAAAHHHHH!" he screeched, with his pitch rivaling that of a tea kettle.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

"Jerome thinks he's _so_ tough," Xavier snarled, his arms crossed over his chest, "but we'll see who ends up getting a _job_ in the future!" He seemed content with this, but an intern handed him a piece of paper from off-camera. He stared at the paper and blinked. "What the hell is 'affirmative action'?" He reads another card and gasps in shock.

* * *

"I think it might be this one," Xena suggested as she approached the large tree with the spray paint streaks of red and green.

"There's the knot!" Jerome exclaimed as he ran to the three. "Who wants to climb?"

Xavier rolled up his sleeves and cracked his knuckles, grinning widely. " _Obviously_ , I'll be the one climbing," he scoffed. "We can't risk you being an awful climber like you were in the last challenge!"

"Um, last time I checked, you didn't even climb _at all_ ," Jerome shot back.

"There's no reason to bring up the past, Jerome," Xavier snarled as he spread his arms around the tree. "I know that's what you people _love_ to do. Oh, and I _know_ about affirmative action and I am _not_ happy about it!"

Jerome exchanged a confused expression with Viktoriya. She shrugged, and folded her arms. The two of them then watched as Xavier attempted the challenge.

Xavier was reasonably in shape, so he climbed the tree with relative ease. When he approached the knot, he reached in, digging around for the key. Seconds later, his hand emerges with the key. But suddenly his eyes widened with terror, and Xavier jumps off the tree as if his life depended on it.

"Gah!" he screeched as he flailed his arms like a maniac. "Get it off me! Get it _off_!"

Silence.

"Well, don't just _stand_ there!" Xavier snarled.

"Um, what are you talking about?" Shaylie asked, both annoyed and confused. "You just started going insane for no reason."

Xavier looked at her as if she had four heads. "Um, _you're_ insane if you didn't see the giant spider!"

The hostile athlete raised a brow. "What?" She narrowed her eyes until she noticed what he was talking about. The smallest spider she had ever seen was crawling on Xavier's chest. A light smile formed around her lips, and then she howled with laughter as she picked the spider off his chest with her fingers.

"Just what exactly do you find humorous about this situation?" Xavier snapped.

Shaylie faked wiping away a tear. "Oh, it's just that you're talking about the _tiniest spider in the world._ Ha!"

She presented the spider to her team, who had with mixed reactions.

"What are we supposed to be looking at?" Zane asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Is _that_ what you freaked out about?" Viktoriya laughed.

"I sense as though it actually fears _you_ less than you do _it_ ," Xena observed. "Interesting."

Jerome laughed loudly. "Big Bad Xavier is scared of a little spider?" he cackled. "Oh, that's just _rich_."

"You know what else is rich?" Xavier hissed. " _Me_. And you're _poor_. So shut up!"

"So do you have the key or not?" Viktoriya asked with a sigh.

Xavier held up the golden key, and his Russian team mate snatched it out of his hands. "Let's head in the direction that they just went," she ordered, "they can't be that far behind!"

"I'll push Zane," Shaylie offered, "since I'm the strongest _and_ the fastest."

She looked around for her team mate, but he was nowhere to be found. After looking a second time to ensure she wasn't just seeing things, Shaylie realized that Zane was gone. She groaned loudly and kicked a rock.

"This is just _perfect_ ," she mumbled, "the cripple's gone. And we get a penalty for each lost player."

Viktoriya shrugged. "They clearly lost Daniel _and_ Aidan, so we still have a lead. And who knows? Perhaps they've already lost more."

"Or they could have found them," Jerome suggested.

Shaylie shook her head. "Regardless, let's get going! Penalty lead or not, they're still physically ahead of us. Now let's _go_!"

* * *

Those who remained of Mutant Maggots sprinted as fast as their legs could carry them. Georgie was the most athletic out of them, and was naturally at the head of the pack. Behind her, Aria and Lucian were running at around the same speed. Holly was at least ten feet behind _them_ , and was breathing very heavily.

"Where the heck _is_ this pet cemetery?" she managed to say in-between gasps for air.

Lucian didn't look behind himself when he replied, "It can't be that far. The island is only so big."

"And I don't remember any pet cemetery from watching the first season," Aria mused, her eyes focused on ahead. "I'm not even sure where it could be."

Holly groaned. "Well, it better come up soon!" she complained. "My feet are killing me!"

Georgie's eyes widened and she came to a screeching halt. Lucian and Aria weren't able to stop in time, and they both slammed into her. The three of them fell to the ground. Before they could get up and before Holly could react in time to stop, the gamer girl tripped over them and went flying onto a mysterious clump of dirt...

... She was sent flying several yards into the air, screaming. The mysterious clumps of dirt were covering a series of mines, spread out across the open field. When she landed on the ground, she set off _another_ mine.

"Ouch," Lucian cringed sympathetically as he watched her set off mine after mine.

Georgie and Aria similarly watched as their team mate suffered the mines, but were unable to do anything. At least the explosions appeared to be minor enough that they weren't causing any serious or fatal damage.

Holly finally landed on the ground with a thud, with all of the mines having been set off. Ash covered her entire body, and a few locks of her orange curls were singed. She moaned in agony as she struggled to get up.

"Jesus, are you okay?" Georgie asked as she, Lucian, and Aria approached her fallen team mate.

Aria nodded, concerned. "Yeah, you set off all the mines!" she exclaimed.

The gamer girl coughed rapidly for a few moments before she composed herself. "Ugh... so _that's_ what pain tastes like..."

Lucian grabbed her by the arms and lifted her up. She was scrawny and light, so he was able to do so without much issue. He threw one of her arms around his shoulder, and Aria did the same. The two of them began to walk, carrying her. Georgie was about to follow them, but was stopped when a web shot from the trees and snatched her.

Her team mates her her scream, and immediately turned around. They all gasped in shock when they saw that she was gone.

" _Another_ one?" Holly trembled. "That spider is out there somewhere... hunting us down!"

Lucian swallowed. "And that's half of our team mates gone, too."

Aria bit her lip nervously.

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

"Okay," Aria began with a sigh. "Maybe I was wrong about 'looking for our team mates later'." She rubbed the back of her head nervously, and then let out another deep sigh.

* * *

The remaining three Mutant Maggots passed through the entrance to the graveyard. It was a dark and dreary sight, with several dozen gravestones spread out through the cemetery. _"Welcome to the Wawanakwa pet cemetery!"_ Chris announced through the loudspeaker.

Lucian ran forward and flipped open a wooden coffin lying in the grass. "The clue must be in here!" he exclaimed. He took out a tattered piece of paper lying in the middle of the coffin and showed it to Holly and Aria. The piece of paper contained three rows of random numbers, but there was a red six in every row and a red eighteen in the last one.

"Maybe it's some sort of code?" the mocha-skinned teenager guessed.

"What if it's telling us where the next clue is?" Holly suggested, taking the paper from Lucian.

"Let's spread out and look for it," Aria declared. The three of them ran in separate directions, searching for the clue.

* * *

The Toxic Rats were racing through the woods, doing their best to try and catch up with the other team. Shaylie was, naturally, at the head of the pack. Viktoriya, Jerome, and Xavier were in a row behind her, running at about the same speed. Xena was in the back of the group, though she wasn't behind by much. As a generally athletic group, they were running pretty quickly.

"Where the heck _is_ this pet cemetery?" Xavier complained.

Viktoriya shrugged. "It could be anywhere. It might be one of those things that Chris builds for one challenge, like the dodge ball arena from season one or the snowy area from the last challenge."

"I don't know why he picked a pet cemetery, though," Jerome mumbled. "That's not creepy, it's just... depressing."

Xena shook her head. "Do not worry, my team mates. I sense that there are no actual deceased animals in this cemetery."

Xavier snorted. "Oh, you _sense_ it? Well, la tee freakin' da! We're safe now!" he mocked.

The oracle hung her head low, and let out an embarrassed sigh. Viktoriya noticed this and shot daggers at the Republican teenager.

"Don't be a jerk, man," she hissed at him. "She's just trying to make Jerome feel better."

"But I was being truthful," Xena squeaked, though her words went unheard.

Xavier cut her off. "By telling him nonsense and giving him false hope?" he sneered. "What if there _is_ a dead animal in there, huh?"

"Just leave her alone, okay?" Viktoriya barked at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Finally, they had arrived at the pet cemetery. Chris's voice filled the air once again through the loudspeaker. _"Toxic Rats, welcome to the Wawanakwa pet cemetery. You better get your butts in gear, because the other team got here a while ago! And since they still have the paper of the clue, I'll be nice and tell you what your looking for: something with a six, a six, an eighteen, and a six."_

"What the heck do those numbers have to do with anything?" Xavier complained.

"Six, six, eighteen, six? Maybe it's you?" Viktoriya sneered. "Three sixes are usually associated with evil."

Xavier scoffed. "And what about the eighteen? Huh?" He poked her in the shoulder. "Yeah, think before you talk! ... Jerk."

Shaylie rolled her eyes. "It's _obviously_ the date on one of the tombstones."

"That's actually a pretty good idea," Jerome said with a smile.

"Um, of course it is. It was _my_ idea."

Xena nodded. "I sense that she is right," she told her team. "I sense a lot of negative energy coming from the tombstones. Perhaps that is where Chris hid the next clue?"

"Only one way to find out," Viktoriya said, running off to check the tombstones.

* * *

Aria was walking by herself through the cemetery. She was actually quite glad to be alone, since it would give her some time to think without any interruption. Her thoughts were first of how she could turn Daniel's attention away from her and onto someone else. She got lucky with Deylanie's cheating, she had to admit. She doubted anything like that would happen again though.

Then she thought of Xavier, and the recent awkwardness that was between them. Aria didn't understand why he was acting this way, but she was about to find out. Xavier told her that he wanted to focus on the challenge and talk later, but Aria was never one to wait. Instead of searching for the clue, Aria decided to look for Xavier once she found out that his team had arrived.

"What the heck is Xavier's problem, anyway?" she mumbled to herself. "I know we didn't talk a lot in-between seasons, but we're still _together_."

She heard a weird noise, and instinctively turned around. She thought she saw something moving in the shadows, but when she looked a second time, there was nothing there. She shrugged and continued walking.

"And since when is he won to want to push confrontations to later?" Aria continued, talking to herself. "He always argues with Jerome and Viktoriya, but he won't have a serious conversation with his _girlfriend_?"

 _SNAP._

"What the _heck_?" Aria shouted, looking around like crazy.

She saw someone (or some _thing_ ) walk past her with her peripheral vision. She turned around and tackled the figure to the ground.

"Okay, what do you want?" she yelled. When she saw who it was, her eyes widened and her cheeks turned a bright red.

A chubby intern with glasses was underneath her, and looking absolutely terrified. He sniffled. "I... I was just putting this in here! Chris told me to for part of the challenge..."

Aria looked to her left. A bucket of some strange liquid had spilled all over the ground. She looked back at the intern, who was crying.

"Y-you're that crazy girl who killed people!" he squeaked. "Please don't kill me! My life expectancy as an intern is short enough!"

Aria immediately stood up, and helped the intern up. "I'm sorry!" she said quickly. "I thought you were... I don't know _what_ I thought you were, but—"

"Just let me live!" the intern whimpered as he poured what remained of the strange liquid into an open grave. After he finished that, he quickly ran away.

The Hispanic girl sighed deeply, and continued her search for Xavier.

* * *

Viktoriya and Xena were in the same general area, looking at the dates on several of the tombstones. The tombstones were very old, some of them at least a century, so reading the dates on them proved difficult.

"December 31, 1999?" Xena said loudly so Viktoriya could hear her.

"March 15, 1973?" Viktoriya responded, just as loud.

This continue for some time. "August 31, 1818?"

"November 5, 1955?"

"September 1, 1885?"

Frustrated, Viktoriya kicked the tombstone she was looking at and pouted. "This is taking forever!" she complained. "Where the heck is this stupid tombstone? June 6, 1806 is the date we should be looking for... just where _is_ it? How many tombstones even _are_ there in this dumb cemetery?"

"We should keep looking," Xena said, "and quickly. I sense that something with a _lot_ of negative energy is coming our way."

Viktoriya never felt the web tangle around her ankles. She only noticed something was happening when the ground rushed up to meet her face. When she was about to yell, another web wrapped around her mouth. Her cries for help were muffled. When she tried to squirm away, a third web wrapped around her torso and started to carry her off.

Xena turned around just at the right moment. "Viktoriya!" she gasped, running towards her team mate.

Just then, another web wrapped around her own body. She yelped and struggled to get out of its entanglement, but to no avail. Soon, the web lifted them high in the air and they were nowhere to be found.

* * *

"I wonder if Xena and Viktoriya are having any better luck?" Jerome asked his team mate. He was bent over and looking at a gravestone, trying to make out the date. The gravestone was old, and covered with dust and dirt. It didn't help that it was nearly pitch black out as well.

Shaylie was a few yards away, looking at a gravestone of her own. "They better be," she scoffed, "since we aren't having much luck. By the way, is Xavier with them? I haven't seen him since we split up."

Jerome shook his head. "Nah," he replied, "I think he went off on his own."

The hostile athlete rolled her eyes and scoffed. "It figures," she mumbled, "the idiot doesn't even know how to cooperate properly."

 _Is the pot calling the kettle black?_ Jerome thought, smirking. "If you're looking to vote him off, I would be more than happy to help you out with that."

That caught her attention. "Really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "Hmm, well, well well, Jerome, my dear. We might have to converse about tonight's elimination ceremony, should we lose."

"Oh, most _definitely."_

* * *

Xavier trembled as he walked through the pet cemetery, constantly looking over his shoulder for any mutant spiders that might be around. Every so often he would hear a noise and shriek like a girl, causing those nearby to yell at him (and in some cases, throw rocks). Xavier was quite grateful of the immense control he had over his bladder.

"Why did it have to be _spiders_ of all things?" he whined as he slumped down the path.

A finger tapped on his shoulders, causing him to completely flip out. When he realized who it was, he calmed down a little bit.

"Oh," he sighed in relief, "it's you."

Aria nodded. "Yeah, of _course_ it's me, Papi. Who else would willingly engage with you?" She laughed, playfully punched his shoulder. When he didn't respond with a jape or a furrow of his brow, she frowned. "What?"

"Look, Aria..." he began. "I told you that today, I just wanted to focus on the challenge. Can we _please_ talk later?"

"No," she snapped, "you're upset about something and you're going to tell me _right now_."

Without another word, Xavier walked away.

"Get back here!" Aria yelled, her face turning red.

Before she could go chase after him, Aria suddenly heard Lucian's voice. "Hey, Aria, Holly! Get over here, guys!" She sighed and ran to where she heard the voice.

The two girls raced over to where Lucian was. He was knelt over a gravestone with a skeleton face design. The epitaph read: _"Rest in peace Scruffy. June 6, 1806"._

Holly gasped in delight. "Oh my gosh, is this it?"

Lucian pointed to the date. "June is the sixth month of the year, it's on the sixth day, and the year is eighteen oh six!" he declared.

"And there must be where we have to use the key," Aria said, tapping on the skeleton.

The DJ inserted the key into the hole, and was immediately sent flying. A wooden coffin was hidden in the ground, and sprung up as soon as Lucian turned the key. He moaned in agony, the pain surging through his body.

As her team mate was just starting to stand up, Aria opened the coffin. Inside was a shelf with six flashlights. Aria grinned and grabbed three of them, then closed the coffin. She shoved the coffin cover closed, and then pushed it back into the ground. "We should hide it so the other team doesn't know where to look," she said.

"Good idea," Lucian told her, offering a thumbs up.

"Let's go to the cave and win this thing!" Holly cheered, smiling.

The remaining Mutant Maggots ran off.

Shaylie watched from behind the nearby tree, grinning. She cleared her throat and called out to her team. "Guys, get over here! I've found it!"

Xavier and Jerome looked up from where they were looking and quickly ran over to her.

"Sweet!" the break dancer cheered, smiling. "I guess you were right about the date, Shaylie. Nice work!"

Xavier snorted. "Yeah, yeah, she figured out the clue, so what? We've still got the challenge to do!" He picked the key out of his pocket and inserted it into the skeleton hole. Shaylie was about to warn him of the spring-box coffin, but decided against it. She grinned widely as she watched him fly backwards onto the ground.

She grabbed the remaining three flashlights off the shelf and handed one to Jerome. "Pick yourself up there, champ. We've got a challenge to win!"

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Xavier scoffed. "Shaylie thinks she's just _oh so_ clever, tricking me into getting... box-springed like that," he he mumbled. "But I'll show her! If we lose the challenge, I'll convince everyone to vote for _her_!" He smirked. "She won't like that!"

* * *

The Mutant Maggots managed to reach the dark cave. On either side of the entrance was both team's flags. Chris's voice filled the air once again through the nearby loudspeaker. _"Welcome to your final destination! Muhahahahaha! The clue is just inside the entrance... and down the tunnel into total darkness. Good luck! You'll need it!"_

Lucian and Holly both swallowed nervously, but Aria didn't seem the least bit miffed by Chris's words.

"Just ignore him," she told her team mates, "it's just a stupid challenge. It's not like we can _actually_ be seriously hurt down there."

The three of them walked into the cave, turning their flashlights on. Aria was at the front of the pack, her flashlight illuminating their path. It shined on a skeleton dressed in an intern's shredded clothes. They all gasped in shock.

"Oh my god," Holly squeaked, "did the spider get that poor intern?"

Lucian swallowed. "Maybe it's not real?"

Aria rolled her eyes. Then she noticed a piece of paper sticking out of the skeleton's shirt pocket. She picked it up and read what was written on it. "By hook or by crook, the end is near if you look."

"What the heck does that—" Lucian started to speak, but was cut off by the webs that wrapped around his legs. He flailed his arms around in a panic, until they were constricted as well. Aria and Holly screamed in terror as they saw him being lifted into the air and out of sight.

"HOLY **/censored/** IT'S REAL!" Aria shrieked.

"I knew it, I knew it!" Holly trembled.

The two girls held onto each other as they continued to run down the cave, screaming all the way.

* * *

Xavier, Shaylie, and Jerome all stood outside of the cave's entrance, holding their flashlights. They heard Chris's sadistic voice in their ears. _"Welcome, Toxic Rats, to last place! The other team is ahead of you, once again. But it's not over yet. The final clue is somewhere in this deep, dark cave. Good luck! Muhahahaha!"_

The trio entered through the cave's mouth, with their flashlights as their only source of light. Shaylie led the two boys, as she was the bravest of them all. Her flashlight lit the dirt path, stooping them from tripping over any stones or cracks. It was a while before they saw anything else, but Shaylie stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what was ahead.

"What the heck?" she shrieked, observing the large web in front of her. She focused her flashlight on it, and when she did, she wished she hadn't. The skeleton of an intern in tattered clothes was tangled in the web.

"Oh... jeez..." was all Jerome could say.

Shaylie bit her lip. "I hope this wasn't one of the guys I knew... then again, I haven't seen Josh in a while..."

"Is that the clue?" Xavier asked, pointing to the paper in the deceased intern's pocket. He pulled it out and read out loud, "By hook or by crook, the end is near if you look... What's with all the riddles, anywho?"

Jerome shook his head. "No idea," he replied. "But we don't have much time, let's go!"

* * *

When Lucian regained consciousness, it took him a few moments to compose himself. He looked around, expecting to find himself in his own bed in the cabin. But when he saw that he was tangled in a giant web, he screamed loudly. He looked around further and saw that the majority of the other contestants were with him as well.

"Lucian?" he heard Aidan say. "Is that you, bro?"

He nodded. "Yeah..." he swallowed. "Where the heck are we? What happened?"

"I think it's either part of the challenge... or a mutated spider has kidnapped us and plans to eat us," Zane mumbled. "Either way, I want out of here."

"Well, who else is all here?" Lucian asked aloud.

"Me," Daniel said.

"Yo," Georgie replied.

"I'm here, too," Viktoriya told him.

"As am I," he heard Xena squeak.

Lucian sighed. "So then it's just... Holly and Aria on my team, and Shaylie, Jerome, and Xavier on the other team."

"They better get here quickly!" Daniel said, frowning. "All of the blood is rushing to my head."

Aidan snickered. "Hey, Viktoriya, is the blood _Russian_ to your head?"

"Oh my god," Viktoriya groaned, rolling her eyes. "That may have been the worst pun I've ever heard in my _life_."

Below, the five remaining contestants who hadn't been kidnapped had finally arrived. Aria and Holly arrived screaming and holding each other for dear life, while Shaylie, Jerome, and Xavier arrived seconds later.

Shaylie's flashlight revealed a rock-shaped skull jutting out of the ground. Six silver hooks were sticking out of the top.

"That must be the last souvenir!" Jerome declared, shining his flashlight on the silver hooks.

Xavier pointed his flashlight upwards. "And there's everyone else!" He shined his flashlight a few yards to the left. "And there's the mutated spider!" His eyes widened. "The _mutated spider?_ " He screamed like a five-year-old girl once again, and dove down to the ground in a fetal posistion.

"Quit your whining," Shaylie snapped at him. She ran towards the skull shaped rock, with Jerome following her. "We've got to get the hooks!"

She tripped over a small rock, causing her to fall to the ground. Jerome didn't have time to react, and tripped over her as well and landed on top of her. The spider sprayed its sticky web, entangling the two of them.

"Uh..." Jerome and Shaylie said at the same time, feeling awkward at how close together they were currently forced to be.

Aria quickly ran past them and grabbed two of the hooks. "Holly, baby!" she called to her team mate. "Let's get going!"

Not moving, Holly bit her lip nervously. "Shouldn't we grab our team? Remember, we get a penalty—"

"—A penalty for each lost player," Aria finished. "Yeah, but the Rats only have one left! If we go now, we can finish before him!"

"But we still have to rescue them!" Holly complained as she ran towards the giant web.

"Holly!" Aria shouted.

The gamer girl picked up a small rock and threw it at the web. It struck Zane in the temple, causing him to cry out in pain. Another one struck him in the nose, and then another in the stomach. A fourth one hit him in the crotch, causing him to let out a devastating whimper.

"What are you _doing_?" he snapped at her.

"Trying to knock you guys loose!" she explained, throwing another rock.

Several rocks hit her fellow contestants, causing them to yelp in pain. Aidan suffered a rock to the eye, Georgie was struck in the shoulder, Viktoriya's glasses were knocked off, Xena was hit by a stone in the mouth, Daniel had a large rock strike him in the side of the head, and Lucian got hit in the nose.

"This clearly isn't working for you!" Viktoriya yelled. "Do something else!"

"Holly!" Aria yelled again.

"Just help me, okay?" Holly yelled back

Aria sighed, but complied. "Fine," she said, running over.

Xavier was still cowering on the ground. He was sucking his thumb, trying to forget the situation he was in.

"Get your butt in gear, Chavez!" Shaylie shouted at him.

He continued sucking his thumb.

"The quicker you get out of here, the quicker you avoid the spider!" Jerome pointed out.

"And we'll win!" Shaylie added in.

Xavier swallowed nervously. He looked up at the spider, which was currently dodging rocks that Holly was throwing at it. He looked over at the zip-line several feet away from him, and then back at the viscous spider.

"For the GOP!" he shouted in a battle-cry, running over to his fallen team mates. He snatched the hook out of Shaylie's hands and dashed over to the zip-line.

"My Papi is getting away!" Aria pointed out. "I love him, but I won't let him win!" _Not while it's me on the chopping block,_ she thought.

Holly paused for a moment, and then threw a rock that struck the spider in the temple. Dazed, the spider fell down into its own web, sending its victims falling to the ground along with it. They screamed as the ground rushed up to meet them, and then again when they hit the solid ground.

"Thank us later," Aria called back as she grabbed Holly by the arm and raced towards the zip-line.

She held onto the hook as tight as she could as she attached it to the zip-line. She made sure Holly did the same before leaping off the cliff to ride the zip-line.

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity in darkness, the remaining three contestants finally made it to the end of the zip-line. Xavier was the first to abruptly fly out and land with a thud on the ground. Aria and Holly landed right on top of him, merely seconds later. They moaned in agony as they struggled to get up.

Chris McLean approached them, grinning widely. "Well, well," he said, "both teams made it to the finish line!"

"But I got here _first_!" Xavier declared triumphantly.

"... But the Mutant Maggots are today's winners!" Chris finished.

The two girls cheered loudly, high-fiving each other.

" _What_?" Xavier screamed, his face turning as red as his sweater vest. "No way! I got here before they did!"

"True," Chris admitted. "But remember when I said to stick together, because you'll get a penalty for each team member you lost? Yeah, you lost _five_. The Maggots only lost _four._ So they win!"

Xavier stomped his foot on the ground. "Are you _kidding_ me?" he screeched. "I faced my lifelong fear of spiders... for _nothing_?"

The sadistic host laughed. "It's just so terrible, isn't it?"

* * *

Back in the cave, the nine kidnapped contestants were in the process recovering from their fall. Daniel was in the process of trying to free Jerome and Shaylie from their web, Georgie was helping Aidan stand up, and Xena was assisting Viktoriya in searching for her lost glasses. Zane was struggling to lift himself up, but Lucian was kind enough to try and carry him.

"We need to get out of here before the spider wakes up!" Aidan cried out, as he grabbed Georgie's hands.

The spider twitched, causing everyone to scream loudly.

"Ugh, did I hit my head?" the spider moaned.

Everyone looked at each other as if to ask, "Did you hear that too, or am I going crazy?"

"What the heck?" Lucian gasped, nearly dropping Zane.

"I didn't know spiders could talk!" Daniel gasped, both curious and terrified.

The spider took off its head, which caused everyone to scream. They stopped screaming when they saw a human head pop out of where the neck was supposed to be.

"I guess this means I lost?" Jamie sighed, snapping his fingers.

Silence.

"What the **/censored/**?" Daniel shouted.

* * *

The twelve contestants, plus Chris, Chef, and Jamie were gathered outside the mess hall. Jamie had discarded his spider costume, and all of the contestants had received bandages for their injuries.

"So why is Jamie here?" Lucian asked, confused.

Chris smirked. "He was one of our most popular contestants, among critics _and_ fans. People were _devastated_ that he got eliminated so early. So, I cut him a deal like Shaylie's from last season. If he was able to capture all of the contestants before the end of the challenge, I would allow him to return!"

"But... he _didn't_ ," Daniel pointed out.

"Correct!" Chris replied, nodding. "But I'm _still_ letting him come back!"

Jamie's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yup!"

"Sweet!"

"... As an _intern_!"

Jamie's face fell apart. "Um, not thanks," he replied dismissively.

The host stopped him. "Yeah, _no_. You have a contract! You have the exact same one as Shaylie, so just how _she_ was forced to be an intern, _you_ will be too! But don't worry, all of the challenges are totally and utterly _painful_!"

"That doesn't make me feel better at all!" Jamie cried out.

"I know," Chris laughed. As he started to walk away, he looked back at the Toxic Rats. "I'll be seeing _your_ butts at the elimination ceremony. Oh, and I want _everyone_ to be there!"

* * *

 **(Outhouse Confessional)**

Jamie sighed. "Great, so I'm an intern now, huh?" He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, at least I already have a million dollars." He smiled. "But at least now I'm back with Zane and my kittens!"

* * *

Xavier exited the washrooms and was making his way to the outhouse confessional to cast his vote. He felt a hand touch his arm and stopped. He turned around and saw that Aria was tapping her foot with an annoyed look on her face. He sighed and pressed his fingers against his temple.

"Okay, I promised you that I'd talk after the challenge," he began.

"And it's after the challenge, Papi," Aria replied, frowning. "Now come on, tell me what's bothering you!"

He sighed deeply once more. "I just... I can't anymore."

"What do you mean?" the Hispanic girl replied, confused.

"I _can't_ ," he repeated. "I can't anymore."

"What can't you do?"

"This!"

Aria shook her head. "No... what do you mean!"

"Don't make me say it," Xavier mumbled.

"You were never one to avoid confrontations, Papi," Aria scowled. "Now just tell me what's on your mind! Tell me what you _can't_!"

"I can't be in this relationship anymore!"

Aria didn't say anything.

"I didn't sign up for _this_ ," Xavier snarled. "I mean, when I met you, I though you were this smoking hot, fun girl who would keep me in line! But then I go and find out that you're a serial killer?"

"My parents—" she started.

"—Made you do it," he finished. "I know! You don't think I know that? I don't... blame you for the circumstances to which you were born! I know that's ironic coming from me, since I despise all social programs, but it's true! I don't think it's your damn fault you were raised by psychos! But you know what? That still doesn't sit well with me! I can't go on knowing that you've killed people, whether it was your fault or not!"

Jamie exited the confessional with an embarrassed look on his face, aware of the situation. He tried to leave as discretely as possible.

"If it was self defense, it might be a different, but it's not!" Xavier continued. "I know it's not your fault, but it still doesn't make me feel better! I'm just not strong enough to _handle_ that! I'm sorry, but I'm not! I tried to! I tried to push aside your past, but I couldn't! Not with me knowing... what was going on up there... or _not_ knowing what's going on up there, I should say."

Aria did her best to hold back the tears.

"Look, I think that you're a... nice girl," he sighed. "But you need _help_. And I can't be the one to help you. I don't know if you're coming to me to fill some void you have inside from not having a good family... but I'm sorry! I'm not strong enough of a person to fill that void! I'm sorry!"

He stormed off, trying to hold back tears of his own. "I'm sorry..."

When he was out of sight, Aria kicked the confessional as hard as she could, sending it toppling over on its side.

* * *

Both teams were gathered around the campfire on the tree stumps, clearly separated from one another. Chris stood at the front with a tray of five marshmallows, while Chef Hatchet stood beside him with a radioactive box, dressed in his hazmat suit. Jamie stood in-between them, now wearing a crimson intern shirt.

" _Mmmm_ ," Chris hummed, grinning. "The tension tonight is so delicious, I could kiss someone! But not you guys, Xavier and Aria. There sure as heck won't be any kissing from you guys anymore!"

"You know what you can kiss, McLean?" Aria hissed, holding up a fist.

Chris wasn't finished. "Or maybe Jamie and Zane want to kiss? Now that they're reunited?"

"Just shut your mouth!" Jamie snapped.

"But kiss or no kiss," Chris continued, "we still have one unlucky Toxic Rat to send flying home! You've all cast your votes and made your decision. When I call out your name, you will receive a marshmallow. But if you're the _last_ person called, the marshmallow that you'll be given is not one you want to eat! You must report to the Dock of Shame and ride the Hurl of Shame!"

All eyes were on one person.

"The first marshmallow goes to Shaylie!"

She caught her marshmallow, grinning.

"Viktoriya!"

The Russian girl sighed in relief and swallowed her marshmallow.

"Xena!"

Xena smiled and caught her marshmallow. She shared a hug with Viktoriya.

"And... surprisingly, Zane!"

The schemer perked up, shocked that he wasn't in the bottom two for once. "Wait, _seriously_?"

Chris looked between Jerome and Xavier. "My, my. I believe we were in a very similar scenario last season, weren't we, Jerome?" the host smirked. "Could this be the end of your tenure on Total Drama? Or is Xavier's past finally going to catch up to him? Who's it gonna be? Well, I know who it is! And that person is...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

"... Xavier!"

The conservative teenager stood up, furious. " _What?"_ he snapped. "You've got to be kidding me! I can't go home fifth! I'm supposed to make it to the end!" He was just able to dodge the Toxic Marshmallow of Loserdom, which hit the ground and was dissolving into the dirt.

"It looks like you've been _impeached_ ," Jerome mocked.

Chris smirked. "And as much as I would have _loved_ to see you and Aria duke it out more, now that you've been eliminated... unfortunately, the people have spoken... unanimously! Maybe democracy ain't it's all cracked up to be, eh Xavier?"

Xavier sneered. "Whatever!" He turned to his team. "Is this seriously because I broke up with Aria? You guys _know_ —"

"That's not why we did it," Shaylie told him.

"Oh?" he blinked. "Well, then you can't really blame me for losing the challenge! Shaylie told me to go on without—"

Viktoriya shook her head. "That's not why we did it, either."

"Then _why_?"

His team exchanged a knowing look, and then each and every one of them smirked.

"Well, you're kind of a racist, xenophobic, homophobic, sexist, bigoted _jerk_ ," Jerome said with great pride.

Xavier snarled. "You know, this is a violation of my freedom of speech! You can't just vote me off for disagreeing with you! The first amendment—"

"—Says that your government can't arrest your for saying something that isn't a direct threat," Viktoriya told him. "But _we_ can still call you our for being an idiot."

"Whatever," he mumbled.

Chris chuckled. "Wow, you're going out with quite a bang, aren't ya? You were a lot less hostile last time."

"Let's just say I've had a rough day," Xavier said under his breath.

* * *

Xavier stood in the center of the catapult, his arms crossed over his chest. The eleven contestants, Chef Hatchet, Chris McLean, and Jamie were all gathered around to see him off, most of them eager to see him off. His former team mates were gathered at the front of the pack, though the Mutant Maggots were not far behind.

"Any last words before we send you back to where you came from, my foreign friend?" Chris asked, poking fun at his American citizenship.

The Republican said nothing, but spat at the dock where his now former team mates stood. He looked over at Aria, bit his lip for a brief moment, but stood tall. He looked back at his team mates with a stern look.

Chris turned to Jamie and said, "Okay, intern. As your 'initiation', I'll give you the honor of sending him flying!"

"Gladly," the aspiring writer replied, grinning widely. He pulled the lever without hesitation.

 _Whoop!_ Xavier's body was launched into the sky, but he did not scream. He would not give them the satisfaction.

"So..." Georgie began. "Not that I didn't totally _love_ seeing Xavier launched into the sky, why did you call us to come here anyways?"

"Oh, I nearly forgot!" Chris gasped with faux-surprise. "I'm switching up the teams a little bit!" Everyone gasped with actual shock. "Yup! Holly and Xena are switching teams!"

Xena looked at Viktoriya with a sad look. She sighed deeply, disappointed at the loss of her one true friend. Holly looked at her former team mates and for a brief moment looked disappointed. Then she looked over at a smiling Jerome and waved back to him, smiling.

"Aren't I just full of surprises?" Chris asked rhetorically. He turned the camera and grinned. "What will happen now, what with the team swap? How will Aria deal with her break-up? How will Zane deal with Jamie back on the island, even if he is just an intern? What crazy challenges will I force these kids to do? Find out the answer to all of these questions, next week on... Total... Drama... Revenge of the Island!"

* * *

 **(Voting Confessionals)**

Xavier grinned smugly. "Am I worried?" He scoffed. "No. I've already got Shaylie to agree to vote for Jerome with me. Nobody else dislikes me that much, aside from _Jerome_ and _Viktoriya_. Trust me. I'm not going home this week!"

...

Shaylie snickered. "Xavier thinks I'm voting for _Jerome_. As if," she said. "He's annoying as heck, and his girlfriend being on the opposite team is distracting him. Adios, amigo!"

...

Jerome waved to the camera, grinning widely. "Is it finally happening? Are my dreams coming true? Has God heard my prayers? Xavier is _finally_ going home! I've got the whole team to vote with me... not that it took them much convincing. Zane was the only one not to already be voting for him."

...

Zane shrugged. "Eh, I was going to vote for Viktoriya, since she kind of hates my guts," he began, "but Jerome made a very compelling argument as to why Xavier would be the best choice. So, I vote for him."

...

Viktoriya smirked. "I was going to vote for Zane, but then I realized that Xavier was a _lot_ more annoying and a _much_ bigger threat. Bye, bye, you racist jerk!"

...

Xena sighed. "I feel as thought voting for Xavier would not be good for him, considering his recent break up with Aria. I feel as though they need to patch things up... but then again, he's mean to my friends, so what do I care?"

* * *

 **Elimination** **Order** : Emma & Walter, Jamie, Deylanie, Xavier.

 **Remaining Contestants** :

Toxic Rats: Shaylie, Jerome, Viktoriya, Zane, Holly

Mutant Maggots: Daniel, Georgie, Lucian, Aria, Aidan, Xena

* * *

 **Author's Note** : So... this was a pretty big chapter. Two huge break-ups right in a row, huh? Xavier was also a pretty major character in the first season, and now he's one of the first few eliminated? Oh, and Jamie's an intern now. (I don't know why I'm saying all of these things, you already know them.)

Xavier was eliminated because... he was getting somewhat stale to write, and his humor was getting repetitive. I honestly regret "reforming" him last season for an episode, partially because it was rushed, and partially because when I "developed" him, I didn't have a second season in mind.

His break-up with Aria will serve as a major part in Aria's development. What does that entail? Well, you'll have to read to find out!

Until next time, thanks for reading the chapter!


End file.
